The 2nd result still has pretty big influence on Today's China and Taiwan. Most current industrialists in Taiwan were kids treated by school administration as

The 2nd result still has pretty big influence on Today's China and Taiwan. Most current industrialists in Taiwan were kids treated by school administration as not worthy of higher education. While most government officials holds advanced degree from North America, Europe and Japan. The absurd part is people with advance degree may not be capable in build up business empires but creating tons of bureaucrats that prevent entrepreneurs to move ahead. -- edit -- I am not sure when the confiscation of merchant wealth exactly happened in Song dynasty. But in Ming, Qing dynasties (those not so innovative eras after Song), confiscation is a huge motivation for ambitious kids to get into government system. And in theory, all confiscation goes to Emperor, but in reality emperors allowed confiscators to get a cut from it.