Meritocracy in China: Reinvention Meritocracy in China: Reinvention of Historical Legacyof Historical Legacy

Dr. CHU SongyanDr. CHU Songyan

Professor, Chinese Academy of GovernanceProfessor, Chinese Academy of Governance

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Content

• Meritocracy in history: Empire management

dimension

• Meritocracy reinvented: Public interest

dimension

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Meritocracy in history: Empire management dimension

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Meritocracy: from complementary to dominant

• Han dynasty began to explore meritocracy based on examination being the

supplement to the hereditary system from Emperor Wen (179—157BC ） .

——Confucianism intelligence overwhelmed military talent to be the benchmark of

meritocracy.

——Therefore echoed the idea of Confucius “Those who govern should do so because

of merit, not of inherited status.”

——Two tracks: hereditary nobility

meritocracy: moral excellence confirmed by the emperor after

examination

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Meritocracy: from complementary to dominant

• The later Nine-rank system (220-587) priorities: family nobility, morality,

intelligence.

• The Tang Dynasty (618-907) created the imperial examinations and

bureaucracies began to open to those who passed tests extensively,

which also made the competition between meritocratic families and

aristocratic clans bitter.

• From the Song Dynasty(960-1279) to 1905, bureaucracies opened only

to those who passed well designed regular imperial examinations,

meritocracy began to be dominant in selection and promotion.

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Meritocracy: from complementary to dominant

• History shows that meritocracy played important role in empire

management with the emperor being the master of the country.

• Dynasties and emperors attaching importance to meritocracy based

on fair examination enjoyed prosperity.

• Meritocracy examination supported by the social strata related to

professions classified by the emperor’s government under

Confucianism : Shi (scholars), Nong (peasants), Gong (Workers)

and Shang (businessmen)

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Meritocracy reinvented: Public interest dimension

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Republican country without emperor any more

• Meritocracy legacy: ideas and concepts rooted deep in Chinese

culture for more than 2000 years.

• College education once played the role of meritocracy until 1993.

• China National School of Administration (now CAG) was established

in 1994.

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Simplifying the government is revolution, while selecting virtuous and capable talents is revolution

too.Jan. 13, 1982

Provisional Regulation of Civil Service

1993-2005

• The standard of selecting civil servants:

Stick to the mission of serving the people,

virtue and capacity should be equally stressed.

• The principle of openness, equality, competition and

selecting excellence should be implemented.

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Civil Service Law 2006

Article 11: civil servant should qualify the following terms：

• Chinese nationality；

• Age 18 years old plus；

• Upholding the Constitution；

• Behaving good virtue；

• Healthy enough to perform duty；

• Educational background and work capacity fit for the position；

• Other terms stipulated by law.10

Therefore

Anyone who wish to enter civil service for the first job have to :

• Get a diploma or bachelor’s degree at least

• Pass the general civil service examination: Administrative Aptitude

Test, national level, provincial level

• Pass the profession examination of certain government agency

• Pass the interview, generally 1:5

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Promotion is also meritocracy dominated

• Civil Service Law Article 7: the appointment of civil servants should

stick to the principle of meritocracy with virtue and capabilities being

stressed, and performance should also be stressed.

• Working Regulation on Selection and Appointment of Party and

Government Leaders (Firstly released in 2002, revised in 2013)

To build a high-quality leaders team with firm belief, the leaders

should serve the people, work diligently and practically, and be

accountable and clean.12

Working Regulation on Selection and Appointment of Party and Government leaders

Article 2 the selection and appointment of the Party and

government leaders should stick to the following principles:

• The Party assuming the responsibility for cadres affairs

• Meritocracy without boundaries

• Virtue and capability should be stressed with virtue being prior

• Performance oriented with satisfaction of the mass

• Democratic, open, competitive and excellency-ranking selecting

• Democratic centralization

• Law-based operation

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Empire meritocracy

• Loyalty to emperor and love the

subject

• Virtue + capability: Confucianism

based Examination

• No split of politician and bureaucracy

• Promotion based on closed top-down

assessment: virtue, capability,

performance, cleanness

• Self-learning and cultivating oneself

Republic meritocracy

• Patriotic and serve the people

• Virtue + capability: high education +

AAT+ professional test + face-to-face

interview.

• No split of politician and bureaucracy

• Promotion based on semi-3600

assessment: virtue, capability,

diligence, performance, cleanness

Satisfaction degree evaluation of the

mass being included.

• Training welfare to renew civil service

both virtuously and intellectually, e.g.

leadership training

THANK YOU

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