Study On Intellectuals' Education Resource In Tang Dynasty

Since Han Dynasty to Southern and Northern Dynasties, privilege class monopolized the course of becoming reserve official through study. In Shui Dynasty and Dang Dynasty , the approved imperial examination system brought pro forma equality to intellectuals of all classes. But in fact, due to unbalanced education resources input and occupancy, intellectuals of different classes can not be educated equally. Education resource means the chance to be educated by the support from family or personal endurance. The inclined political economical and social relationship share between gentry and plebian intellectuals is the very reason causes the actual inequality in education. Through the analysis of notes, novels, poems and epitaph in Tang Dynasty, the introduction of this thesis takes a review of imperial examination system, and tries to unscramble it in conclusion.Before Kaiyuan, the official education was on its ascending time. It has more and more intellectuals and enjoys high social state. Since the 15th year of Kaiyuan (year 727 A.D.), Ministry of Personnel began to restrict the reserve official recruiting rate and cut the quote for official educated intellectuals, which results in intellectuals losses in public school and development of private school in provincial level . The policy pushed the official education to a dilemma situation. To solve this crisis, Emperor Xuan and Emperor Dai took many measures such as lower the entry standard for official school, extend the recruiting scope, and they even tried to call off private school. Since there would be no share change for intellectuals graduated from public and private education, all these measures affected nothing but brought the collapse of official education.Compared with private education, the public school enjoyed more education resources at beginning, such as teachers with imperial examination experiences, government shouldered budget, definite rules and regulations, comprehensive daily education plan and high matriculate rate. But the sound education resource is not distributed equally. Normally, the school of high level will have some priority. The qualificatory check for government school causes the gentry intellectuals have chance to study in high level school while the plebian intellectuals were forced to lower level school. From this aspect, the imperial examination recruiting rate is decided by the education occupancy of different social classes, and the gentry intellectuals grabbed most resources of the official education.The private or family owned education also has its outstanding points: talented teacher (even teacher for lower level)and adequate libraries. Private education mainly existed in families with sound economic condition, which means the gentry intellectuals could pay their all attention to study. In fact, the primary education for private school is successful, which provides intellectuals with solid knowledge foundation in fierce imperial examination. Since the private school were mainly set up by big families or some families joint investment , so the gentry class always grabbed the advantage of family owned education.Except public and family owned education, there were some other kinds of education. Village school shouldered the responsibility of primary education, and such school can not afford good teacher or study condition. Give lecture has no limit on the intellectuals' background, residency and quantity. The scholar for give lecture always wisdom people, but they did have political background , so their intellectuals could not take the advantage of this education in imperial examination. Minority teaching is elite education, and the teachers were celebrities, who have good social relationship . This kind of education is penitent and the intellectuals are always talented, which is the reason so many intellectuals studied here got many process in their personal political career. Temper study is one kind of open study, wit teachers and enough library books attracted more and more intellectuals. Since the economic condition variance between gentry and plebian intellectuals, the gentry class got the better education resources and they could go further in imperial examination system.The education resource share changes with time. Gradually plebian intellectuals occupied some education share. Before Kaiyuan, compared with gentry intellectuals, plebian intellectuals would have less chance to become reserve official through imperial examination. Since Kaiyuan to Zhenyuan, plebian intellectuals got more and more access to education but there still a big gap between two classes, which decreased in later Tang Dynasty. Different districts also affected the education share, which branded by social, political and militarily change instead of intellectuals' intension and social resources .Although the sound education share for plebian intellectuals grow with time, but its speed and scope was limited. To Tang Dynasty's perdition, gentry class still controlled the high grade education share. So from this aspect, imperial examination did not change vertical flow for different classes.There were many social reasons for education difference in this period: Firstly , gentry class controlled the power, and the government dominated official education would incline to gentry intellectuals. No matter how hard plebian intellectuals tried, they can not override the identity difference. Secondly, the private education promoted the plebian enthusiasm for education, but most of the plebian intellectuals could not get strong economic support from their family. Thirdly, the aim for imperial examination for Tang Dynasty is to create hope for plebian that they could become reserve official through study. But the low maculate rate for plebian could not forge a thought "Nothing is elegant than study" in social scope. So only minority of the plebian intellectuals would invest stable time, money and energy to education. Fourthly, since plebian intellectuals could not get support from their family, they would give up study. So those people who had finished study were always gentry intellectuals. Plebian even did have chance to finish study , how could they have opportunity to become reserve official through imperial examination ?In conclusion, the government for Tang Dynasty could not handle the whole education system in social level, and public schools could not open to intellectuals of all kinds classes, which means intellectuals could not compete in the same platform. Private education depended on so much on family economic condition, culture background and social relationship. Gentry class could utilize more social resource than plebian class, so plebian class was in an inferior situation of education, and the maculate rate for plebian class was low, which could not change vertical class structure of society.