Final answer:
During the Ming dynasty, mandarins were extensively used in government roles to ensure loyalty to the emperor and maintain a centralized power structure. These officials were selected through a rigorous civil service examination process, which aimed to create an educated administrative class upholding Confucian principles.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Ming dynasty, mandarins were employed extensively in government because they were viewed as nonthreatening and entirely beholden to the emperor for their positions. Mandarins were highly educated administrative officials who came to their roles primarily through examinations on Confucian texts, a system that started during the earlier Han dynasty and evolved through subsequent dynasties including the Tang and Song. The Ming dynasty further entrenched the power of the emperor and the chosen civil servants, distancing from the localized military leadership that might pose a threat to centralized authority.
The civil service examination system was a hallmark of Confucian governance and was designed to create a class of scholar-officials trained in Confucian classics, history, ritual, and law. This process was designed to be merit-based and was more protected against nepotism and favoritism compared to procedures in earlier dynasties like the Tang, where family connections and aristocratic power played a much greater role in securing high office. However, corruption and a shift in power dynamics did occur over time, as evidenced by the growing influence of a new elite class during the Ming dynasty.
Despite the examination system being open to certain criticisms, it helped ensure that for much of its history, China was governed by educated administrators who had proven their capabilities. This created a sense of social stability and allowed Chinese culture and government to flourish in ways unparalleled in other parts of the world, even as emperors and courts like the Ming's became progressively more isolated.