The intellectual class of China has been three different successive groups. The first was the shih ta-fu, who were Confucian scholars and civil administrators before the establishment of the civil examination system. The second were the literati, who elevated themselves through the various examinations. The third group contained those who graduated from modern colleges and universities both in China and in foreign lands. The last group, the intelligentsia of contemporary China, is often recruited from the peasantry and the gentry. It inherits the Confucian tradition of the abhorrence of physical work and military force and supports the rulers in administering the peasantry. There are too many of them for the available suitable positions in the government and the universities. Consequently, some become unscrupulous, cynical, and opportunistic. But others are fighting desperately for democracy in government and education.