Emperor Buyantu Khan reforms the Yuan

1316

The fourth Yuan emperor, a rare Confucian among the Mongol princes, revived the civil service examinations in China after a seventy-year lapse. Only a trickle of Han scholars could actually compete with Mongols and Semu for posts, but the symbolic concession eased some of the tension stiffening the empire. It was the dynasty's most significant attempt to win Chinese hearts through traditional governance.