Chapter 19 Section 4 The End of the Ancient Chinese Examination System

There are legends about the examination system in ancient society in China very early, and the embryonic examination system existed in the Western Zhou Dynasty.During the Han Dynasty, the examination system and the examination system of Taixue were formally established, which played a positive role in the development of politics, economy, culture, and education in the Han Dynasty. experience of.However, in the Han Dynasty’s inspection system, the power was mostly controlled by the princes, ministers, and local officials, and was monopolized by local officials and aristocratic families. Recommendations at various levels were often based on reputation rather than weight, and finally formed the "family as virtue" It is difficult to find out the real talents in the situation of "taking position as a virtuous person" (Wang Fu's "On Fu Lun·Lun Rong").During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to long-term separatism and turmoil, the examination system in school education and the investigation system in social selection were not perfect. The gentry with the surname is in charge, and the powerful gentry group controls the power of selecting scholars, so the nine-rank Zhongzheng system can only "determine the quality according to the capital" and select talents according to the rank of the family. Even if the exams are held, there are many "hire people to answer the questions" and it is difficult to fully implement the exam system.During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the system of selecting candidates by subject examination was established, which played a progressive role in history.But the feudal rulers adopted this examination system to maintain their own rule.Therefore, the imperial examination system had both positive and negative factors from the very beginning.The imperial examination system better resolved the relationship between strengthening the centralization of power and mobilizing local and individual enthusiasm, but it encouraged the social atmosphere and fluke mentality of "everything is inferior, only reading is high", resulting in the bad habit of cheating and cheating. The bad habits are continuous and intensified.The imperial examination system linked reading, taking exams, and being an official, and combined the cultivation of talents with the selection and appointment of talents.The imperial examination system overcame the bias of recruiting talents purely based on moral character and family background, but failed to truly realize the recruitment of talents based on knowledge and ability.The imperial examination system has established a unified set of content, standards, procedures, and steps, which is conducive to the standardization and objectification of scoring, but it also encourages the prevalence of formalism, dogmatism, and cumbersome philosophy.The imperial examination system has inspired generations of intellectuals to seek knowledge for thousands of years, so that there is a trend of "five-foot boys ashamed of ignorance of literature and ink". ", try to figure out stereotyped articles, and look down on knowledge of natural science, thus hindering the development of natural science.Song Yingxing, a famous scientist in the Ming Dynasty, said in the preface to "Tiangong Kaiwu": "Beggars and literati throw away their desks, and this book has nothing to do with fame and fame!" It took 30 years of hard work to write a career in medicine, and it was written more than 200 years earlier than Lin Nai's "Natural System", the father of "taxonomy" in the West. When dedicating this great book to the imperial court, Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty instructed: "Keep the book for reading, and the Ministry of Rites will know."At that time, studying natural science had no way out in society. Not only would they lose fame and fortune, but they would even suffer persecution.

Lu Xun said: "Foreign countries use gunpowder to make bullets to defend against the enemy, but China uses it as firecrackers to worship gods; foreign countries use compass needles for navigation, but China uses it to read Fengshui." In "The Man with the Strange Face", it is said: "Inventions such as printing, artillery, balloons, and anesthetics are all earlier than us in China, but there is one difference. In Europe, there is an invention that immediately develops into an invention vigorously. It is a wonderful thing, but in China it is still stagnant in the embryonic state, soundless and odorless, China is really an alcohol bottle for preserving fetuses." Although movable type printing was invented in the Northern Song Dynasty, it has not been popularized. Recording this great achievement of the inventor Bi Sheng, the Chinese themselves find it hard to believe that the Chinese themselves have such an astonishing creation.American scholar David Bodanis said in the article "Why Modern Science Hasn't Developed in China": "When Europe was still shrouded in the haze of the dark ages, Chinese officials were already full of energy, riding a light compass Horse-drawn carriage, to visit some astronomical research centers equipped with solid-fuel sounding rockets. 1000 years later, when European scientists launched the Industrial Revolution, Chinese bureaucrats were still walking in a fixed square step. In contrast, they have Not so energetic."

Joseph Needham said in the preface to "History of Science and Technology in China": "Modern science was born in Europe after the 16th century. What are the obstacles to producing a modern science similar to this?" This reason is of course due to the difficulty of breaking the natural economy of the combination of small-scale agriculture and cottage industry in China; The strength of feudal autocratic politics and the completeness and strictness of feudal laws and regulations; in addition, the long-term implementation of the ancient imperial examination system, which was isolated from social and economic life and adopted a rude and derogatory attitude towards science and technology, may also be a reason.

After the Opium War, some intellectuals with advanced thinking saw the disadvantages of selecting talents through the imperial examination system from the lessons of China’s lack of practical talents and being beaten everywhere. advocated the abolition of the imperial examination system.In the late Qing Dynasty, from the reform of the imperial examination content to the abolition of the imperial examination system, it generally went through three stages. The first stage: reforming the content of the imperial examination.The imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty only focused on regular scripts, and the topics were from the "Four Books" and "Five Classics", and the interpretation must respect Zhu Xi's annotations, and even cut and cut scriptures, focusing on isolated quatrains and suspected references.For example, in "The Doctrine of the Mean", there is a sentence "and its vastness, grass and trees grow it". Inexplicable, difficult to answer.The imperial examination insisted on selecting candidates based on poems and books. Once admitted, these Jinshi candidates who could only chew on words and talk about others were helpless in financial management, prison, flood control, and disaster prevention.He would only "talk about his heart and mind with nothing to do, and repay the king with his death".The content of this examination has been constantly criticized by enlightened intellectuals.After the Opium War, there were many suggestions for reform.In the first year of Guangxu (AD 1875), the Ministry of Rites listened to some people's opinions, and then asked to "specially open a subject of mathematics".In the 10th year of Guangxu (1884 A.D.), someone asked to "establish an art department".In the 23rd year of Guangxu (AD 1897), Guizhou Xuezheng Yanxiu (AD 1860-1929) invited the "Economic Special Course", which included the examination of political, diplomatic, arithmetic, law, machine manufacturing, engineering design and other specialized knowledge. However, stereotyped essays and poems are still tested.After the Sino-Japanese War, the bourgeois reformers fiercely criticized the imperial examination system, and the criticism focused on the use of stereotyped essays to select scholars.Kang Youwei (1858-1927 A.D.) pointed out that stereotypes are useless, and there is no rush to abolish stereotypes in the reform of imperial examinations.He demanded that "customization should be requested, and the test posts should be stopped, and the examiners should be strictly guarded, and regular script should not be respected."Kang Youwei and others' > strongly demanded "stop the stereotype test posts and promote the six subjects of economics".This was the first time that Kang Youwei asked Emperor Guangxu to abolish stereotyped writing.It is suggested to change the martial arts subject for the special examination of knives and knives to art, so that all prefectures and counties will open art academies; where there are separate schools for astronomy, geology and mining, medical law, sound and light, chemical electricity, etc., select students over the age of 15 to study in the academies, Then change the examination method, so that the people of the world will be wise.Kang Youwei’s memorial on April 10, 1898 and the style-defining document drafted on behalf of Yang Shenxiu both strongly advocated the abolition of stereotyped writing as soon as possible, because stereotyped writing has been circulating for hundreds of years, and the titles of the essays all have blueprints. It is difficult for scholars to speak. Scholars are eager to get the imperial examinations, and they are also intriguing, so they use clever words to respond to it."As a result, millions of people who gave birth to children "have exhausted their ambitions, white-headed and yellow-skinned [guo country], working hard day and night, still engaged in cutting dry and embarrassing stereotypes, and it is not a waste of talent." On June 16, Kang Youwei took advantage of the opportunity of the meeting again to face the harm of stereotyped writing: "Today's trouble is that our people's wisdom is not developed, so although there are too many people's wisdom, it is not usable, and the reason why people's wisdom is not developed is all caused by stereotyped candidates. Those who study stereotyped writing do not read the books after the Qin and Han Dynasties, let alone examine the affairs of the countries of the earth. However, they can pass through their books and become high officials. There are so many ministers today, but those who are unable to handle changes are all due to stereotyped writing. Therefore, it is not cut to the imperial court, but to the eight shares; the 20 million yuan is not paid to the imperial court, but to the eight shares; Jiaozhou, Luda, Weihai, and Guangzhou Bay are not cut to the imperial court, but to the eight shares. "Liang Qichao (AD 1873-1929) also said: "The stereotyped selection of scholars is one of the great roots of China's hidden civilization. During the Reform Movement of 1898, these opinions were adopted, and an edict was issued to abolish the stereotyped selection system, and stipulated that all township, general examinations, and children's examinations should be changed to examination policies.After the Reform Movement of 1898, stereotyped scholars were revived for a time. In 1901, the Qing court abolished stereotyped selection of scholars for the second time, and tried policy theory instead.

The second stage: Decreasing the number of candidates for imperial examinations.The reform of the imperial examination system was an important reform measure in the education aspect of the "New Deal" in the late Qing Dynasty.In order to express their support and support for the "New Deal" education reform, some important officials of the imperial court and officials in the frontiers were not satisfied with abolishing stereotyped writing and changing to policy theory, and they all petitioned for a reduction in the number of candidates for the imperial examination.In the twenty-seventh year of Guangxu (AD 1901), Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi proposed to reduce the number of candidates for scholars and supplement them with school students.In the twenty-ninth year of Guangxu (AD 1903), Zhang Baixi and others also suggested that "starting from the next Bingwu Division, the middle amount of each division will be reduced by one-third, and it will be tried temporarily."And it is expected that "after the quota for the last subject is exhausted, the township examination will be stopped."

The third stage: the abolition of the imperial examination system.Although the imperial examination system has been reformed several times, it still coexists with schools.The background of the scientific examination is still attractive to candidates, which affects students' entry into new-style schools.In view of this, Yuan Shikai, Governor of Zhili, General Zhao Erxun (Xun Xun) of Shengjing, Zhang Zhidong, Governor of Lianghu, Zhou Fu, Governor of Liangjiang, Cen Chunxuan, Governor of Guangdong, and Duanfang, Governor of Hunan, petitioned to stop the imperial examination and establish schools.They have seen from the civilized countries in the world that the source of prosperity is the establishment of schools and the cultivation of talents, while China is dwarfed by comparison, so they think: "The imperial examinations continue, the number of schools is not wide, the morale of the people cannot be firm, and the wisdom of the people can be restored." There is no way to open up, and it is difficult to seek its evolution." Therefore, they demanded: "If you want to remedy the difficulties, you must start by promoting the school. If you want to promote the school, you must first stop the imperial examination." ("Guangxu Zhengyao" volume 31) Due to the situation, the Qing court decided in the 31st year of Guangxu (1905 A.D.) that "all the township examinations will be stopped, and the provincial age examinations will also be stopped."Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial examination system has been implemented for more than 1300 years, and it has been completely stopped since then. It marks the end of the ancient Chinese examination system and the emergence of the modern Chinese examination system.

---

Notes: