Imperial examination

Candidates gathering around the wall where the results had been posted. This announcement was known as "releasing the roll" (放榜), a term that continues in modern use. (c. 1540, by Qiu Ying)

The Imperial examinations (simplified Chinese: 科举; traditional Chinese: 科舉; pinyin: kējǔ) in Imperial China determined who among the population would be permitted to enter the state's bureaucracy. Qiu Ying (仇英 Pinyin: Qiú Yīng Wade-Giles Ch'iu Ying) (1494 - 1552 was a Chinese painter who specialized in the Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government The Imperial Examination System in China lasted for 1300 years, from its founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its abolition near the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1905. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China

1 Purpose
2 Detail of the Imperial Examination
3 End of the Imperial Examinations system
- 3.1 Under the Republic of China
4 Influence
5 Notes
6 References
7 See also
8 Further reading

Purpose

Before the system was introduced, most appointments in the Imperial bureaucracy were based on recommendations from prominent aristocrats and existing officials, and it was commonly accepted that recommended individuals must be of aristocratic rank. Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations The origin of this system, called nine-rank system, can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). The Nine rank system ( Pinyin: jiǔ pǐn zhōng zhèng zhī or jiǔ pǐn guǎn rén fǎ or much less commonly Nine grade controller system, was a Civil service The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China.

Theoretically, any male adult in China, regardless of his wealth or social status, could become a high-ranking government official by passing the imperial examination, although under some dynasties members of the merchant class were excluded. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National In reality, since the process of studying for the examination tended to be time-consuming and costly (if tutors were hired), most of the candidates came from the numerically small but relatively wealthy land-owning gentry. However, there are vast numbers of examples in Chinese history in which individuals moved from a low social status to political prominence through success in imperial examination. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Under some dynasties the imperial examinations were abolished and official posts were simply sold, which increased corruption and reduced morale. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain

A Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) portrait of the Chinese official Jiang Shunfu (1453–1504), now in the Nanjing Museum. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Nanjing Museum ( Pinyin: Nánjīng Bówuyuán Simplified Chinese: 南京博物院 is located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province China, The decoration of two cranes on his chest are a "rank badge" that indicate he was a civil official of the first rank. Cranes are large long-legged and long-necked Birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. A Mandarin square ( Traditional Chinese: 補子 Simplified Chinese: 补子 Pinyin: bŭzi Wade-Giles: putzŭ also known as a rank badge

In late imperial China the examination system and associated methods of recruitment to the central bureaucracy were major mechanisms by which the central government captured and held the loyalty of local-level elites. For the Academic journal see Late Imperial China (journal. Late Imperial China refers to the period between the end of Their loyalty, in turn, ensured the integration of the Chinese state, and countered tendencies toward regional autonomy and the breakup of the centralized system. The examination system distributed its prizes according to provincial and prefectural quotas, which meant that imperial officials were recruited from the whole country, in numbers roughly proportional to each province's population. Elite individuals all over China, even in the disadvantaged peripheral regions, had a chance at succeeding in the examinations and achieving the rewards of holding office.

The examination system also served to maintain cultural unity and consensus on basic values. The uniformity of the content of the examinations meant that the local elites and ambitious would-be members of those elites across the whole of China were taught with the same values. Even though only a small fraction (about 5 percent) of those who attempted the examinations passed them and received titles, the studying and the hope of eventual success on a subsequent examination served to sustain the interest of those who took them. Those who failed to pass--most of the candidates at any single examination--did not lose wealth or local social standing; as dedicated believers in Confucian orthodoxy, they served, without the benefit of state appointments, as teachers, patrons of the arts, and managers of local projects, such as irrigation works, schools, or charitable foundations. Patronage is the support encouragement privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization

In late traditional China, then, education was valued in part because of its possible pay-off in the examination system. The overall result of the examination system and its associated study was cultural uniformity--identification of the educated with national rather than regional goals and values. This self-conscious national identity still underlies the nationalism that has been so important in China's politics in the 20th and 21st centuries. Chinese nationalism ( sometimes synonymous with Chinese Patriotism ( lit

Detail of the Imperial Examination

Examination hall with 7500 cells, Guangdong, 1873. Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the

There are a few degree types offered:

Shēngyuán (生員), also called xiùcái (秀才), licentiate; administered at exams held in the county level each year.
- Anshou, (案首)a shēngyuán who ranked #1
- Gongsheng (貢生), or "tribute student",^[1] a senior licentiate
Jǔrén (舉人) or "recommended man",^[1] a provincial graduate, administered at the provincial level every three years
- Jieyuan (解元) jǔrén who ranked #1.
- Huiyuan (會元), jǔrén who ranked #1 in prequalification
- Gongshi (貢士), jǔrén who passed prequalification
Jìnshì (進士) or "presented scholar",^[1] a metropolitan graduate, administered in the capital every three years
- Jinshi jidi (進士及第) Jinshi who were ranked first class in Jinshi examiniation.
- Zhuangyuan (狀元), lit. exemplar of the state, jìnshì who ranked #1 first class (in Jinshi examination) .
- Bangyan (榜眼), lit. eyes positioned alongside (the top-ranked scholar), jìnshì who ranked #2 first class.
- Tanhua (探花), lit. selective talent (in reference to the eponymous banquet), jìnshì who ranked #3 first class.
- Jinshi Chushen (進士出身) jìnshì who were ranked second class in Jinshi examination.
- Tong Jinshi Chushen (同進士出身) jìnshì who were ranked third class in Jinshi examiniation.

By 115, a set curriculum had become established for the so-called First Generation of examination takers. They were tested on their proficiency in the "Six Arts":

Scholastic arts: music, arithmetic, writing, and knowledge of the rituals and ceremonies in both public and private life. Six Arts refer to the six practices in ancient Chinese culture.
Militaristic: archery and horsemanship

The curriculum was then expanded to cover the "Five Studies": military strategy, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography, and the Confucian classics. Chinese classic texts or Chinese canonical texts ( refer to the pre- Qin Chinese texts especially the Confucian Four Books and Five Classics In this form the examinations were institutionalized during the sixth century CE, under the Sui Dynasty. The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. These examinations are regarded by most historians as the first standardized tests based on merit. A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a consistent manner

By 1370, the examinations lasted between 24 and 72 hours, and were conducted in spare, isolated examination rooms; sometimes, however, it was held within cubicles. "Cubicle" is also used to refer to a toilet stall in a Washroom. The small rooms featured two boards which could be placed together to form a bed, or placed on different levels to serve as a desk and chair. In order to obtain objectivity in evaluation, candidates were identified by number rather than name, and examination answers were recopied by a third person before being evaluated to prevent the candidate's handwriting from being recognized.

End of the Imperial Examinations system

The Imperial examination system was abandoned for a time under the Yuan Dynasty, and completely abolished in 1905 before the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China

The Taiping regime was the first in Chinese history to admit women as candidates in the examination system, although the system itself was abandoned altogether later. The Taiping Rebellion or Rebellion of Great Peace was a large-scale Revolt against the authority and forces of the Qing Government in China

Under the Republic of China

See also: History of the Republic of China

After the fall of Qing Dynasty in 1911, Dr. This article discusses history of the state which currently governs Taiwan Area. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the newly risen Republic of China developed similar procedures for the new political system through an institution called the Examination Yuan, although this was quickly suspended due to the turmoil in China between the two world wars, such as the War lords period and the Japanese invasion. Sun Yat-sen ( November 12, 1866 &ndash March 12, 1925) was a Chinese Revolutionary and political leader often REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Examination Yuan ( is in charge of validating the qualification of civil servants in the Republic of China. The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the The Kuomintang administration revived the Examination Yuan in 1947 after the defeat of Japan. However, it would move to Taiwan two years later due to the Communist Party of China's victory in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the The Examination Yuan continues to exist as one of the five branches of government in the Republic of China on Taiwan. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia.

Influence

The Chinese Imperial examination system had international influence throughout East Asia. It was modelled by the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty for the Yangban class in Korea (see Gwageo) until its annexation by Japan. The Goryeo Dynasty ( 918 - 1392) (also spelled Koryŏ was a Sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo Wang Kon. The yangban were a well educated scholarly class of male Confucian intellectuals who were part of the ruling elite within Korea prior to 1910 and the republics period Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. The gwageo (or kwago) were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea The Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was signed on August 22, 1910 by the representatives of the Korean and Japanese Imperial Governments and was This had also been modelled in Vietnam from 1075 to 1919. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Japan modelled this in the Heian period; however, the influence was under minor nobilities only and was replaced by the hereditary system in the Samurai era. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan.

It has been suggested that the Chinese Imperial examination system was an important influence on the Northcote-Trevelyan Report and hence on the reform of the Civil Service in British India and later in the United Kingdom. The Indian Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym ICS, originated as the elite Civil service of the Indian Government under British colonial Her Majesty's Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent Bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports UK Government Ministers In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century admission to the administrative civil servant depended on success in an examination in classical studies.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Brook, xxv.

References

Brook, Timothy. (1998). The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22154-0
Elman, Benjamin. (2002) "A Cultural History of Civil Examinations in Late Imperial China". London: Univ. of California Pr. ISBN 0-520-21509-5
Ichisada Miyazaki, China's Examination Hell: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China (New York: Weatherhill, 1976). ISBN 0-8348-0104-3, reprint 1981 ISBN 0-300-02639-0
John Chafee, The Thorny Gates of Learning in Sung [Song] China (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995).
Thomas H. C. Lee, Government Education and Examinations in Sung [Song] China (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press,; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985).
Mayers, William Frederick, and G. M. H. Playfair. The Chinese Government: A Manual of Chinese Titles, Categorically Arranged and Explained, with an Appendix. 3 ed. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh Limited, 1897.
This article incorporates material from the Library of Congress that is believed to be in the public domain. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress
Man-Cheong, Iona (2004). The Class of 1761: Examinations, the State and Elites in Eighteenth-Century China. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

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