Final answer:
Chinese higher education historically focused on Confucian classics, calligraphy, and moral ethics to create literate and morally responsible civil administrators. These studies ensured the maintenance of order and the effective functioning of government while shaping a class of scholar-officials who sustained their status through patronage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Institutions of higher learning in China have historically prescribed courses that revolve around classical studies, primarily focusing on Confucianism and related literary skills such as calligraphy. The teachings of Confucius provided a framework for governance and ethics, thus becoming an integral part of the Chinese education system.
The Confucian classics, alongside subjects like mathematics, law, and the fine arts, formed the core curriculum intended to produce civil administrators who were literate and possessed moral integrity, which was key to maintaining order and executing government functions effectively. Government schools recruited common people, and the examinations were designed to be graded anonymously. This, along with other routes of entry into government such as promotion or purchase of lower-level degrees, created a class of scholars, known as shih, who maintained their livelihood through patronage and their role was pivotal in education and government work.
The emphasis on classical Chinese philosophy and literature persists in contemporary exams for government officials, indicating the enduring legacy of these educational practices. Furthermore, the rigorous study of calligraphy was reflective of the importance placed on literacy, as the Chinese language is character-based, and a high degree of proficiency is required for official work and cultural activities. Thus, these courses were prescribed not just for intellectual development but also to ensure the continuation of an educated and morally upright bureaucratic class to serve the state.