ABSTRACT
Gernet (1982:300) suggests that not a single aspect of political, economic or social life remained untouched by change during this period. The transition from a semi-mediaeval society under the Tang to a new world, whose basic characteristics reflect the China of modern times, was apparent in political attitudes, class relations, urban and rural societies, the military and the economy. During the eleventh century, the state’s need for civil servants, the spread of education, the growth of agricultural production and the subsequent increase in incomes from land all led to an increase in the number of wealthy families. Armies were no longer conscripted, but mercenary, and the governing class had considerably expanded. In the rural districts, the wealthy families provided the guards (Kung shu) or archers to ensure order, and many from the rural districts were recruited into the mercenary army.
