Developments in East Asia

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts regarding government developments and bureaucracy in East Asia during the Song Dynasty.

Song Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty (960-1279) that replaced the Tang Dynasty and was characterized by wealth, political stability, fine artistic and intellectual achievements, and an expanded bureaucracy.

Jin Empire

An empire established in northern China by invading pastoralists from Manchuria who took control of northern lands from the Song Dynasty.

Imperial bureaucracy

A vast organization in which appointed officials carried out the empire's policies, serving as a feature of Chinese government since the Qin dynasty (221 B.C.E.-207 B.C.E.).

Emperor Song Taizu

A Song Dynasty emperor who expanded educational opportunities to young men of lower economic classes so they could pass civil service exams.

Civil service exams

Tests based on knowledge of Confucian texts that allowed young men to gain highly desired official positions in the bureaucracy.

Meritocracy

A bureaucratic system in which officials obtain their positions by demonstrating their merit on competitive examinations rather than through aristocratic birth.