<P> Scholar - officials, also known as Literati, Scholar - gentlemen, Scholar - bureaucrats or Scholar - gentry (Chinese: 士大夫; pinyin: shì dàfū) were politicians and government officials appointed by the emperor of China to perform day - to - day political duties from the Han dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty . After the Sui dynasty these officials mostly came from the scholar - gentry (紳士 shēnshì) who had earned academic degrees (such as xiucai, juren, or jinshi) by passing the imperial examinations . The scholar - officials were schooled in calligraphy and Confucian texts . They dominated the government and local life of China until the mid-20th century . The American philosopher and historian Charles Alexander Moore concluded: </P> <P> Generally speaking, the record of these scholar - gentlemen has been a worthy one . It was good enough to be praised and imitated in 18th century Europe . Nevertheless, it has given China a tremendous handicap in their transition from government by men to government by law, and personal considerations in Chinese government have been a curse . </P>

The confucian scholar-official system began during what dynasty