Social Science Seminar - Knowledge for Lineage: Queen, Keju, and Social Mobility in Tang China

Transitioning from limited to open access societies drives economic development. This paper provides empirical evidence into this institutional transformation by investigating early and high-Tang China. Based on a dataset comprising 1,261 marriages from 618 to 755, we find that Empress Wu’s rise to power in 674, resulted in a positive effect on upward mobility. Men from common and poor clans who entered marriage after 674 were more likely to wed into elite clans and consequently became lineage elites. This surge in inter-class marriages primarily triggered by Empress Wu’s expansion of national civil examinations to strengthen her legitimacy, which increased the likelihood of men from common and poor clans succeeding in the exams. These knowledge elites leveraged their academic accomplishments to marry daughters from elite clans, leading to the convergence of lineage elites and knowledge elites.
[Coauthored with Shuo Chen (Fudan University) and Shouying Liu (Renmin University of China)]