A Study On The Appointment Of Confucian Scholars In The Period Of Emperor Wu Of The Han Dynasty

The appointment of Confucian scholars did not begin during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.As early as the Spring and Autumn Period,the phenomenon of appointment of Confucian scholars had already emerged.In order to achieve their political ideals,the Confucian community actively sought opportunities to enter the political power.During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods,the appointment of Confucian scholars experienced a trend of evolution from being widely appointed to not being appointed.During the Qin Dynasty,the political status of Confucian scholars was elevated and they entered the Qin regime.However,the positions they held were mainly doctoral positions,serving as political advisors to Emperor Qin Shi Huang,and they did not become officials with actual administrative power.In the early Western Han Dynasty,although the positions of Confucian scholars were not limited to doctoral positions,some of them were able to hold positions such as Crown Prince and Marquis Wang Fu,as well as some held positions such as Taichang and local prefects.However,overall,there was not much difference from the Qin Shi Huang period,and they still mainly served as political advisors to the emperor.The group of Confucian students remained at the edge of the political power.During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han,the appointment of Confucian scholars showed a leapfrog development.With the formation of a series of official selection systems that lean towards the Confucian community,with the censorial system as the main body,not only have the channels for Confucian students to enter the government been expanded,but also institutional guarantees have been provided for them to enter the government.Confucian students are widely appointed,and both the number of Confucian students selected from the official selection system and the number of Confucian officials who can be tested are far ahead of the generation.The types of official positions held by Confucian scholars are diverse,allowing them to truly enter the government.The official positions are no longer limited to being doctoral officials in charge of documents,classics,and communication between ancient and modern times for political advisors.Similar to grammar officials,they have the opportunity to become officials at all levels of the Han Dynasty government.Some Confucian scholars were able to serve as senior central officials with actual administrative power,such as prime ministers and imperial officials.The group of Confucian scholars began to trend towards the power center of the Han Dynasty,but the general situation of Confucian students’ appointment during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han was still concentrated in the middle and lower levels of bureaucratic groups.After the arrival of Confucian scholars,Confucianism and their identity were not the decisive factors in the process of the transfer of Confucian officials.The key factors for the promotion of Confucian scholars were their personal abilities and achievements in governing the world and politics,whether they could cater to their preferences,and whether their political views met the personal political needs of Emperor Wu of Han.The reason for the large-scale appointment of Confucian scholars during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han was not only due to his personal political needs,but also due to the shift in the power and values of Confucian scholars,which to a certain extent was in line with the trend.The appointment of Confucian scholars played a social guiding role,resulting in the formation of the "respect for Confucianism" situation from the official level to the social level.At the same time,after Confucian scholars entered the government,it was conducive to strengthening imperial power and centralization,and promoting the transformation of bureaucratic groups towards literary and Confucian style.At the local level,it has played a role in reshaping local public order and good customs,reconstructing local social order,promoting ideological unity,strengthening control over local society,and improving local official governance.