From Humble Beginnings to Political Prominence

The story of the Lu family of Henan is a remarkable case study in social mobility during China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279). Beginning with the unlikely ascent of Lu Mengzheng—a poverty-stricken youth who rose to become chief councilor—this clan produced four prime ministers across three generations, demonstrating both the possibilities and limits of meritocratic advancement in imperial China.

Historical records depict young Lu Mengzheng’s dire circumstances: abandoned by his minor bureaucrat father, he and his mother took refuge in a mountain cave near Longmen’s Buddhist monastery, where he studied by candlelight. The popular Yuan dynasty opera “The Tale of the Cold Cave” romanticized his struggles, showing him subsisting on discarded melon rinds—a detail later commemorated when, as prime minister, he built a pavilion named “Rotten Melon” to remind his family of their humble origins.

The Examination System as Social Equalizer

Lu’s transformation from cave-dwelling scholar to government leader was enabled by the Song’s reformed civil service examinations. Unlike earlier dynasties where aristocratic connections dominated advancement:

– Tang Dynasty Limitations: Despite having examinations, the Tang allowed “public recommendations” where elites could influence results. The 828 case of Du Mu—awarded fifth place after a patron lobbied examiners—illustrates this flawed system.
– Song Institutional Innovations: The Song introduced game-changing protocols:
– Locked Compound System: Examiners were sequestered to prevent influence peddling (from 992)
– Anonymous Grading: Papers were recopied to prevent handwriting recognition (from 1015)
– Three-Tier Evaluation: Separate graders assessed each paper with reconciliation protocols
– Anti-Nepotism Rules: Relatives of officials took segregated “avoidance examinations”

These reforms produced dramatic results. The 1256 imperial examination records show 70% of successful candidates came from commoner families—a stark contrast to Tang patterns where 80% of high officials hailed from elite lineages.

The Paradox of Elite Continuity

Despite this meritocratic framework, the Lu family’s sustained prominence raises questions. Their two-century dominance in politics and culture (later producing renowned scholars like Lü Zuqian) suggests some advantages for established families:

1. Educational Resources: Official households could afford superior tutoring
2. Cultural Capital: Exposure to government affairs gave insider perspectives
3. Strategic Marriages: Alliance-building with other elite families

Yet crucially, each generation had to revalidate status through examinations. When Emperor Zhenzong offered patronage to Lu Mengzheng’s descendants, the retired statesman redirected favor to his nephew Lü Yijian—a qualified examination graduate who later became prime minister on merit.

Comparative Social Mobility Metrics

Modern scholars use “intergenerational income elasticity” (0-1 scale) to measure social rigidity. Applying this concept to political power:

– Han Dynasty: Heavy reliance on hereditary nobility (~0.8)
– Tang Dynasty: Examinations coexisted with aristocratic privilege (~0.6)
– Song Dynasty: Exam-focused system with mobility (~0.3)

Emperor Taizong’s 977 examination—which Lu Mengzheng passed as top graduate—symbolized this shift, recruiting 507 candidates versus the Tang average of 30. Subsequent policies actively disadvantaged officials’ relatives: in 985, both Lu’s cousin and the prime minister’s son had their high rankings revoked to favor commoners.

Enduring Lessons on Meritocracy

The Song experiment demonstrates how institutional design can combat stratification:

– Anonymous assessment prevents bias
– Standardized testing creates comparable metrics
– Financial aid programs (like travel vouchers for poor examinees) lower barriers

As modern societies grapple with inequality, the Lu family’s story—both their spectacular rise and eventual decline—offers timeless insights into balancing meritocratic ideals with the realities of accumulated advantage. The examination system’s later ossification into rigid “eight-legged essays” also warns how even brilliant systems can calcify without renewal.

Ultimately, eleventh-century China’s brief flowering of relative mobility reminds us that open pathways to talent benefit both individuals and civilizations—a lesson as relevant today as when a cave-dwelling scholar first changed his family’s destiny through the power of learning.