Historical and archaeological clarification:

The imperial examination system was not solely about the eight-legged essay; it originally promoted a balance of arts and sciences.

The foundation of Han civilization’s belief system is rationality and ethics, not theocracy.

While Europe was consumed by faith, China had long esteemed science.

Many people assume that the ancient imperial examinations only tested on the eight-legged essay, and that scholars were all “bookworms.”

But the opposite is true.
For a very long time, the true imperial examination system was a balance of arts and sciences.
Ancient China was not just a land of poetry, books, rites, and music; it was a civilization that revered science and reason.

📖 I. The Starting Point of the Imperial Exams: Giving a Chance to Scholars from Humble Backgrounds

Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty initiated the imperial examination system, and the Tang Dynasty perfected it.
This system broke the monopoly of aristocratic clans, allowing common people to enter officialdom through knowledge.
This was the world’s earliest system of “meritocratic equality.”

The Tang Dynasty’s imperial examinations not only tested for the “Jinshi” (advanced scholar) degree but also included STEM subjects like “Mathematics” and “Arithmetical Studies”:

  • Geometric surveying
  • Hydraulic engineering design
  • Architectural proportions
  • Astronomy and calendrical science

The ability of the Tang Monk and his companions to accurately predict a solar eclipse was not a miracle—it was science.
The study of science and engineering was a key criterion for selecting talent by the government at the time.

📚 II. The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art: The Foundation of the Han Rational Tradition

By the first century BCE, the Chinese had already written The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
This book could solve systems of linear equations, measure slopes, and calculate dike constructions, making it the world’s earliest masterpiece of applied mathematics.

One problem from the book asks:

“There are three types of grain, with different prices and different weights. When mixed and sold, a certain amount of money is obtained. What is the price of each type of grain?”
This is the prototype of a system of three linear equations with three variables.

At that time, Europe was still using Roman numerals and had not even developed the concept of “zero.”
This book later became the core textbook for the “Mathematics” subject in the Sui and Tang dynasties, reflecting the underlying spirit of the Han people: “to trust in reason and to value practical application.”

🧮 III. STEM Exam Questions: As Difficult as Modern Engineering

The examination questions for a “Mathematics Graduate” in the Song Dynasty were extremely difficult. For example:

“If a canal is divided into three branches, each drawing a different amount of water, how high should the weir be built to make the water flow evenly?”

This already involves fluid dynamics and geometric calculations.
At that time, officials like the “Doctor of Mathematics” and the “Director of Waterways” were in charge of engineering and surveying.
Passing this kind of “STEM examination” was equivalent to becoming a “state engineer” today.

In that era, being an official required not only writing poetry but also understanding architecture and algorithms.
Rationality, practicality, and science were part of the government system.

⛪ IV. The Divergence of Reason and Faith: Different Paths for the Han and Europe

Meanwhile, Europe was mired in the “Dark Ages” under religious rule.
The Church declared:

“The Earth is the center of the universe. To question this is heresy.”

Bruno was burned at the stake, Copernicus was imprisoned, and Galileo was forced to recant.
Reason and science were reduced to ashes by the fires of faith.

China, on the other hand, used the “imperial examinations” to stimulate reason and replaced faith with “scholarship.”
One used religion to control thought; the other used examinations to reward intellect.
These two paths determined the trajectories of two different civilizations.

☪️ V. A Backward Europe, An Open Islamic World

While medieval Europe was shackled by religion,
the Islamic world was at the peak of its civilization.

Baghdad’s “House of Wisdom” brought together scholars from Greece, Persia, and India,
catalyzing leaps in algebra, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry.
“Arabic numerals” and chemical terms with the prefix “al-” all originated from this period.

At that time, Muslim women were not required to cover their heads,
while the Christian world demanded women to veil their faces and forbade them from learning.
At that time, Islam was more open, and Christianity was more conservative.

The key to civilization is not the name of the religion, but whether it respects reason.

🎨 VI. The Renaissance: The Rebirth of Reason, Europe’s Comeback

In the 16th century, Luther’s Reformation tore apart the shackles of theocracy,
and the liberation of thought brought about the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.

Da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton…
Humanity progressed from a geocentric model to understanding the cosmos, from alchemy to chemistry, from faith to science.
The Renaissance paved the way for Europe’s future technological leadership.

⚙️ VII. China’s Lost Trajectory: The Interruption of the STEM Tradition

  • The wars of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period destroyed the education system;
  • Although the Song Dynasty retained mathematics exams, their status declined;
  • The Yuan Dynasty abolished STEM examinations for the Han Chinese;
  • The Ming Dynasty replaced practical studies with the eight-legged essay—reason was shackled by literary formalism.

From that point on, China’s technology ceased to develop systematically.
Craftsmanship remained a mere “technique,” losing its underlying “principle” or “way.”
As Europe sailed towards the Age of Discovery and the Industrial Revolution,
we stalled on the eve of our own “Tiangong Kaiwu” (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).

☯️ VIII. The Core of Han Belief: Respecting Spirits but Keeping a Distance

(Connecting the previous and next points: Why the Han people are naturally endowed with a rational gene)

To understand why China was able to embark on the path of reason and science so early,
one must return to the source of its thought—the belief structure of the Han people.

King Wen of Zhou forbade the “chaotic worship of ghosts and spirits.”
Confucius went further, saying, “Respect ghosts and gods, but keep them at a distance.”
This was not just a ritualistic idea but a declaration of spiritual independence.

The Han people worship ancestors, not deities;
Yuchi Jingde became a door god, Guan Yu a god of war, and Mazu a protector of seafarers—
they are all “moralized” and “personified” gods, not religious creations.

This cultural DNA proves that:
The Han people are naturally endowed with the brilliance of rationality, unconstrained by religious dogma.
They believe in patterns, value practice, and are better suited than any other people to follow the path of science.

It is for this reason that China could write The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art in the BCE era,
establish STEM examinations in the Sui and Tang dynasties, and invent gunpowder, the compass, the waterwheel, and printing in the Song Dynasty.
Rationality has always been the hidden source code of Han civilization.

🕯️ IX. Conclusion: Rationality is a Nation’s True Faith

From King Wen of Zhou’s rational sacrifices to the STEM examinations of the Sui and Tang dynasties;
from the scientific spirit of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art to the belief of “respecting spirits but keeping them at a distance”;
the fundamental color of Han civilization has always been rationality.

Unfortunately, this flame was once obscured by the shadows of war and power.
But reason was never extinguished—
it still flickers in every heart that seeks truth and dares to question.

True faith is not about looking up at the heavens, but about having your feet firmly on the ground.

When we once again pick up the torch of reason and science,
perhaps we can, once more, become the guides of human civilization.