Chapter 7 Section 1 The Sui Dynasty Created the Imperial Examination System

At the beginning of the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the nine-rank Zhongzheng system was also implemented.However, because this system of selecting officials was not conducive to the strengthening of centralization, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty quickly abolished this system and concentrated the power of selecting officials and appointing people to the official department of the central court.In the seventh year of Kaihuang (587 A.D.), the prefectures were ordered to recommend three officials to the imperial court every year.In the eighteenth year of Kaihuang (598 A.D.), he was ordered to be "above the fifth grade of Beijing official, general manager, and governor, to be refined with aspirations and actions, and to be the second imperial examination person of Qingping and Qianji".It can be seen that at this time the Sui Dynasty had got rid of the old path of the nine-rank Zhongzheng system and began to transition to the new path of imperial examinations.

In the third year of Daye Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty (607 A.D.), he ordered that "those who have a career in civil and military affairs, and above five grades, should follow the ten imperial examinations according to the order."And clearly put forward the subjects of the ten imperial examination candidates: filial piety and fraternity, good morals, good manners, clean conduct, strong perseverance and integrity, perseverance in governing the constitution, excellent academics, beautiful literary talents, talents worthy of general strategy, and 〔 lu Lu〕Li Xiao〔Xiao Xiao〕strong.In the fifth year of Daye (609 A.D.), the ten subjects were reduced to four.The purpose of selecting scholars by subject examinations became more and more clear.Among them, there are still "literary and beautiful" subjects, that is, Jinshi subjects.The Jinshi section is mainly based on examination strategies and questions, and the creation of the Jinshi section by Emperor Sui Yang is generally regarded as a symbol of the official emergence of the imperial examination system.The imperial examination completely centralized the right of admission and appointment to the central government.The characteristic of the imperial examination examination is that the admission standard is based on the test paper, and it only focuses on talents, rather than being inspected by the local government.The so-called reputation and reputation are no longer the main basis.Although the Chaju and Jiupin Zhongzheng systems in the Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties also included examinations, they were mainly recommended for examinations, while the imperial examinations after the Sui Dynasty were mainly based on examinations.This is a major dividing line of the selection system in ancient China.The establishment of the imperial examination system restricted the situation of elites and nobles controlling the selection of scholars to a certain extent, opened up the way for common landlords to participate in the political power, and expanded the class base of the ruling class.This is a major political reform carried out by the Sui Dynasty in order to maintain and consolidate its rule.The imperial examinations, after all, have relatively stable objective standards, which devalue family status, emphasize talent and learning, and appoint people on their merits. This is indeed a change and progress in the selection system in ancient China.However, the imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty was still in its inception stage and was far from perfect.It can be said to be the canal that communicates the transition from the examination system to the imperial examination system, and has since created a new era of China's examination system.The imperial examination system became a powerful lever to support bureaucratic politics, and at the same time it was an effective baton for cultural education in Chinese feudal society after the Sui and Tang Dynasties.