Chinese Rank Badges

From 1391 to 1911, a scholar’s status in the meritocracy of the Imperial Court was shown in the rank badges, also known as mandarin squares, or insignia squares, worn on his jacket. A male civil servant earned his badge by passing grueling tests. All three names indicate the embroidered or woven squares worn by civil and military officials who worked hard to earn this recognition. Rank badges are still some of the finest embroideries of gold thread on silk ever done anywhere in the world.  We are lucky to have these beautiful works of embroidered art.  Few of these exist anymore because most imperial rank badges were burned when the revolutionary communist government came into power in 1949 under Mao Zedong.  Because of the communist revolution in China, possessing articles from the old imperial regime could have resulted in death...

·      Nine civil ranks and nine military ranks existed in the ancient imperial rank badge system...

·      Each civil rank was represented by a particular bird...

·      To earn the first civil rank, a man had to pass an exhaustive exam. If he passed, he and his family could wear the paradise flycatcher badge of the lowest ninth rank. To rise to higher ranks, he had to pass more difficult tests...

·      For military badges, the man had to pass strenuous physical tests. He and his family would then wear badges with embroidered animals...

·      Both civil and military badges contain other symbols...

Do you see a symbol that is in all of them?

·      The sun is a symbol for the Chinese emperor who was believed to have a mandate from heaven...

·      The bird and animal symbols all face the sun symbol to honor the emperor...

·      Insignias belonging to men face to the left; those worn by women face to the right. When a man and his wife sat next to each other, the birds or animals faced each other...

Please click on the first photo to view the slide show...

Beginning in the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), administrators of civil service exams sought to find the best candidates for the vast bureaucracy that governed China.  Scholars first took local tests; if they passed, they moved on to the three-day exams in the capital.  For the one percent of test takers who passed the earlier exams, the final challenge was to pass the exams in the imperial palace itself. The exams evolved over the centuries but always included memorizing the classics of Chinese literature, especially Confucianism.  Beginning in the Tang dynasty (618 – 906 CE), students had to demonstrate proficiency in writing and calligraphy, formal essay writing techniques, classic literature, mathematics, legal and government matters, poetry, and clear and coherent speaking.  Each dynasty thereafter added extra layers of difficulty but expanded the number of participants to meet the greater demands of the growing Chinese government...

The tests in the provinces took three days.  Scholars would be searched and, if found with materials to cheat, would be expelled and not allowed to take a test again. Each testing cubicle had three boards to be arranged as a chair and desk or bed, as needed. The cubicle remained open so that proctors could observe the test-takers’ behavior.  Once the results were announced, those who passed were invited to a special banquet to celebrate; those who failed would try again next time.  The average age of those passing the second level was 30, and  for the third level, 40...

This system of promotion through examination of abilities, or meritocracy, served to reduce the bribery and graft in government circles.  It also placed enormous value on education, a view still important in China. The system also created a compliant section of society because a fundamental principal of Confucianism was a sense of duty.  However, the uniformity of the exam system encouraged memorization and conformity, rather than imaginative or creative thinking.  As industrialization and scientific advances spread throughout the western nations, China fell behind because of their emphasis on classical education.  As a result, after one thousand years of tradition, in 1905, the Qing leaders abolished the civil service exams, and since then, China has excelled in technology and science...

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