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Politics, Humanities and Rural Homeland 115

given a post close to power, such as an editor of official documents or counselor to
a high-ranking officer. Those who passed the highest imperial examination would
be granted an even more superior title and enjoy more financial resources and
power.
Among these three roles, namely: that of a scholar, official or a member of the
landed gentry, the most important was that of an official, a person in power. Only
those Confucian scholars who held positions of power could realize their political
ambitions, be it through policy-making—where millions of people might be
influenced, or through their decisions related to state security and social benefits.
Only by the exercise of power could they obtain wealth, status and prestige,
moreover they would not just be considered “gentlemen”, but members of the
“intelligentsia”. However, in order to be appointed to an official position and enter
the political arena, most of them had to pass the imperial examination at different
levels which would test their intellect.
As members of the landed gentry, they were the mainstay of rural society in
terms of maintenance of local stability and giving guidance for the local people,
and within their communities they held positions of authority. They might help
settle disputes and resolve problems faced by residents of the community, and
make contribution to cultural and educational development of localities. Some
might even undertake pioneering work towards ethical improvement. During
ancient times, demoted officials were often exiled to remote places where they
brought with them advanced culture to those backward areas. Some retired offi-
cials acted as a conduit between local governments and the people, and helped
solve many local problems, therefore they were held in high esteem by local
officials. Together, they wined and dined or gathered to compose poems. Because
of their considerable wealth, land and property, they were held in awe by local
people. They had left their homes when young to serve as officials for the imperial
court and returned home after their retirement, they loved—or had strong at-
tachments to—their homeland. Everything in hometown were familiar and dear to
them. Most had originally come from farming families, some of them even came
from poverty-stricken households, so they knew well about the sufferings and
hardships of local residents. Now with wealth and influence, they were willing to
do something good for their hometowns. Due to their efforts, a lot of administrative
work at the grassroots level was carried out effectively, lessening much burden of
local government bodies. While they had their roots in their rural communities,
they did not all become “rich despots”. As they had seen the outside world and,
more importantly, had been influenced by Confucian teachings on morality, and
were well read and nurtured by great writings, their desire for material wealth was
much mitigated.