An Analysis of Zhao Kuangyin’s Institutional Reforms That Facilitated the “Co-governance with Literati Officials” Framework

Abstract

Against the backdrop of political transformation from the Five Dynasties to the early Song period, this article focuses on the series of institutional reforms implemented by Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, to end the dominance of military commanders and establish a governance framework where he would “rule the realm together with the literati.” This study systematically analyzes the implementation pathways and interactive mechanisms of measures such as the “cup of wine to relinquish military power,” central administrative restructuring, the promotion of civil governance principles, and the refinement of the imperial examination system across four dimensions: military, political, cultural, and the imperial examination system. Research indicates that during the early Song Dynasty, through institutional elevation of the status of civil officials and systematic curtailment of military commanders’ power, a governance structure gradually emerged that suppressed military influence through civil authority. This successfully propelled the civil official group into the core of power, achieving a historic transition from “military-dominated politics” to “civilian-dominated politics.” This paper argues that the model of “co-governance by monarch and literati officials” established by Zhao Kuangyin not only laid the institutional foundation for the stability of the Song dynasty regime and its social development, but also profoundly shaped the political and cultural traditions of the later imperial era in China, exerting far-reaching historical influence.