?Analysis on the abolition of education and the imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty
The imperial examination system is a basic system for selecting officials through examinations in Chinese history. It originated from the Han Dynasty, was founded in the Sui Dynasty, and went through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1905), the imperial examination system was officially abolished after more than 1,300 years. The emergence of China's imperial examination system is a historical necessity and social progress. It has a direct and powerful influence on the official selection system of ancient Chinese society, especially the examination and recruitment system of the Han Dynasty, the nine-rank Zhongzheng system of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, etc. Substitution and negation provided conditions for fair competition for the common people to enter officialdom and enter the historical and political stage through the imperial examination ladder. Therefore, the imperial examination system is the most pioneering and equal talent selection system for officials in Chinese history and in the history of the world.
Qing Dynasty Schools
The "school" in Qing Dynasty literature refers to various state educational institutions. In the Qing Dynasty, there were various official schools, including the Imperial College, Zongxue, Jueluo School, and Eight Banners official schools in the capital. Each province has government schools, state schools, and county schools. In addition to these official schools, there are also educational institutions such as private schools, social studies, free schools, and colleges established by private individuals and local societies. All these government-run and non-government-run educational institutions constitute schools in our broad sense in modern Chinese.
1. Private schools, social studies, and voluntary studies. In the Qing Dynasty's children's enlightenment education, except for the rich who hired tutors to teach their children, public educational institutions were private schools. Private schools are run by private individuals, clans or local societies, and employ Confucian scholars (usually scholars or old boys) as teachers. Private schools teach literacy and enlightenment textbooks such as Hundred Family Surnames, Thousand-Character Classic, and Three-Character Classic. Those with advanced levels also choose the Four Books and the Five Classics. Social studies and voluntary studies are also enlightenment education institutions. In the early Ming Dynasty, fifty private schools were ordered to set up a social study and hire teachers to educate civilian children. In the early Qing Dynasty, the order was restored to establish a social school in each township, and those with outstanding literary skills were selected to serve as social teachers. The government exempted them from work and paid them discretionary salaries. Volunteer schools are generally founded by local communities or public-spirited people who raise funds to make up for the shortcomings of social schools, and specialize in enrolling orphans and children from poor families. These students can all take the imperial examination and are called Tongsheng.
2. Government schools, state schools, and county schools. These are all official schools and are funded by the state. Children who pass the examination and enter county schools, state schools, and government schools are called students, also known as Xiucai, Maocai, and doctoral students, commonly known as scholars. The imperial court appointed principal and deputy academic officials for prefecture, state, and county schools.
3. Imperial College. The Chinese Academy of Sciences established in the capital in the Qing Dynasty was called Guozijian, also known as Taixue. The students who failed to graduate in the prison were collectively called Guozijiansheng, but they were actually divided into two categories: tribute students and (in a narrow sense) supervisors. "Gong" refers to the meaning of tribute to the royal court. Gongsheng refers to local tribute students in the imperial court.
There are five kinds of Gongsheng. One is the annual tribute. The annual tribute students are promoted to tribute from each prefecture, state, and county. The students who have studied for ten years after studying in each prefecture, state, and county are promoted to tribute in order of seniority. The number of students varies depending on the size of the school in each prefecture, state, and county. There may be one in one year, one in two years, or one in every two years. One in three years, four years, five years or even ten years. The second is engon. In the event of a national celebration or a year when the throne is enthroned and a benevolent edict is issued, the students of this year's annual tribute ceremony will pay tribute, which is called enggong. The next year, the students who are at the forefront will serve as the annual tribute. The third is to pay tribute. The academic administration of each province conducts special examinations for each student, and selects the best candidates. The selection was initially irregular, and after the seventh year of Qianlong, it was scheduled to be conducted every 12 years. In each exam year, students must register with their prefecture, state, or county school. After review by the academic officers of each school, they will submit their application to the provincial academic administration to take the exam. The admission quota is generally two students per prefecture and one student per state or county. The fourth is Yougong. Yougong is also taken by the academic and political examinations in each province, once every three years, and there are no more than a few people in each province. The fifth is deputy tribute. In the Qing Dynasty, each province in the provincial examination admitted deputy candidates according to one-fifth of the official admission quota, which was called deputy tribute. The above-mentioned Wugong personnel are from the right background and can be selected as officials by the Ministry of Rites, or they can pass the examination to study in the Imperial College (the deputy tribute does not need to be selected). In addition to the above "five tributes", there is also the so-called regular tribute, which is obtained by donations from students and supervisors.
There are four types of supervisors. One is the benefactor. Those who are admitted by official students and are admitted as descendants of Confucius and other sages are called Enjian. The second is the shade prison. The shade prisons are divided into graceful shades and difficult shades.
In the Qing Dynasty, civil servants of the fourth rank and above, foreign officials of the third rank and above, and military attachés of the second rank and above were allowed to send a son to study in the Imperial College. These people and those who were specially admitted to the Imperial College by grace were called Enyin Prison Students. In addition, if a third-rank foreign official in the capital or above, regardless of Manchu or Han Dynasty, is killed in the king's affairs after serving three years in the rear service, one of his sons will be allowed to enter the Imperial College to study; the provincial chief envoys, the inspector envoys, the salt transport envoys, as well as the chief seal officers and second assistant officers of various states and counties If someone dies in a royal affair, one of his heirs will be admitted to the Imperial Academy to study. The third is excellent supervision. Youjian refers to students who enter the Imperial College as attached students. The fourth is regular prison. A regular prisoner refers to a person who obtains the qualification of a prisoner by donating money from a handsome person (that is, a commoner without any fame).
The study contents of Guozijian mainly focus on the "Four Books" and "Five Classics", as well as calligraphy. In addition, optional courses include Zhuzi and "Thirteen Classics" and "Twenty-one Histories". During the study period, Imperial College students have major courses, quarterly exams, monthly exams and other exams to test their performance. For those who have studied in the Imperial College, the best ones can take the economic examination according to the relevant system and be appointed as low-level officials. Due to the abolition of the Imperial College teaching system, the imperial students did not study. Most of their names were donated to qualify for the provincial examination, which was despised by people.
4. Other official studies. In the Qing Dynasty, the descendants of Takeshi, the father of Taizu Nurhaci, were the clan clan, commonly known as Huangdaizi, and the sons of Takesh's uncle and brother were Jueluo, commonly known as Reddaizi. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a Zongxue in the capital, which was dedicated to accepting the children of the clan, and a Jueluo School, which was dedicated to accepting the children of Jueluo. Both of them were affiliated to the clan house. In addition, Jingshan Official School was established to select young children under the leadership and supervision of the three banners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Xianhuang Banner, Zhenghuang Banner, and Zhengbaiqi). Xian'an Palace Official School was established to select students under the supervision and supervision of the three banners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Young children and Eight Banners Junxiu are admitted to school.
5. Academy. Academies began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. They were generally established in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the eleventh year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign of the Tang Dynasty, Lizheng Academy was built. It was originally a place for book repair. At that time, the place where scholars studied was also called an academy. After the Song Dynasty, the academy was used as a place for lectures. Ma Duanlin named Shigu Academy in Hengyang, Hunan, Yingtian Academy in Shangqiu, Henan, Lubailudong Academy and Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Hunan as the four major academies.
Imperial Examination Procedures in the Qing Dynasty
In the Qing Dynasty, on their way to the imperial examination in order to gain fame, scholars had to go through three steps: becoming a student member, being an examiner, and becoming a Jinshi. Each process requires multiple examinations. To be sure, the various imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty can be classified into three series: the examination for students, the examination for candidates, and the examination for Jinshi.
The academic administration of the Qing Dynasty was the officials sent by the central government to each province to manage education and imperial examination affairs. Its system originated from the Song Dynasty. The academic administration is held for three years, and is released in August in the year of Zi, Mao, Wu, and You. Its basic tasks are threefold: the first is to preside over the "college examination" and admit students from various prefectures, states, and counties; second, It is to preside over the "annual examination" that tests the academic performance of students in various places; the third is to preside over the "subject examination" as a preparatory examination for the provincial examination. Academicians were envoys of the imperial court and were not subject to the control of governors, so they had a very high status.
1. A series of examinations for students (scholars). Children must pass three levels of examinations: county examination, government examination and college examination: the county examination is presided over by the state and county magistrates, and is usually held in February. The procedure is for children to register in the county government office ceremony room and fill in the resumes of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who are alive, dead, in office, and not yet in office; they must also provide the guarantee certificate of five people who took the exam together or the guarantee certificate of a student in the county. Make sure that his family is clean, he is not one of the descendants of Youzhang Lizao, and he does not have false nationality, concealed funerals, substitutions, or false names, etc., and then he is allowed to take the exam. The first person in the county examination is called the county case leader, and admission is customary during the college examination; the prefecture examination is presided over by the prefect, the Zhili Prefecture magistrate, and the Zhili Department Tongzhi, and is usually held in April. Those who did not take the county examination for some reason can take a make-up test before the prefectural examination, or they can take the prefectural examination. Those who are admitted in the first round are admitted to the college examination. The first place in the government examination is called the head of the government. It is customary to admit students during the college examination. The college examination is hosted by the academic administration. The academic administration of each province tours various places twice during the three-year term. , preside over the annual examinations and scientific examinations of students; at the same time, conduct the college examinations of children. Those who did not take the prefectural examination for some reason, or those who did not take the county examination or the prefectural examination, can take the college examination after taking a make-up examination.
Academic administration is responsible for various places. In addition to presiding over the entrance examination of children, it is also responsible for rectifying the academic style, inspecting the conduct of students, and inspecting the academic performance of students.
2. A series of examinations for people to be promoted, namely the provincial examination. In the Qing Dynasty, candidates were selected through rural examinations, which was based on the ancient meaning of "rural examinations".
During the Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties, it was made during the reexamination period. It became custom-made at the beginning of Jiaqing and was located in the Baohe Hall of the Imperial Palace. For the re-examination, one essay on the "Four Books" and one poem in five characters and eight rhymes will be submitted on the same day. On the second day, a marking minister will be sent to evaluate the results, and they will be divided into first, second and third grades. Those who are ranked first will be allowed to participate in the palace examination. The palace examination will be held one month after the results of the examination are released. It will be held on April 21st in the 26th year of Qianlong. It will be passed down on the fifth day (the ranking will be announced), and the work will be customized. The palace examination was initially held outside Tiananmen. In the 14th year of Shunzhi, it was moved to the east and west pavilions of the Palace of Taihe. In the 54th year of Qianlong, the palace examination was moved to the Palace of Baohe. The content of the palace examination was a topic on current affairs. The minister who read the examination drafted a number of questions and sent them to the emperor to circle them as test questions. The order of rankings in the palace examination is divided into top three, first top three, the first one is named number one, the second is named second, the third is named third best, and is awarded as a Jinshi; the second top is awarded to a number of Jinshi origins; the third top is awarded to a number of top scholars. Born with Jinshi.
4. Martial Arts Examination. In addition to liberal arts, the imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty also included martial arts. They were held in the square in front of the Arrow Tower in the Forbidden City. The county and prefecture examinations for children in martial arts are slightly the same as those for liberal arts; the college examinations are held every three years. The children's examination of martial arts is divided into inner and outer fields. The first and second fields are for the outer field, which tests horse shooting, infantry shooting, hard bow, knife and stone. The third field is for the inner field, which tests theoretical knowledge. The rural examination and joint examination of martial arts are also divided into three sessions. After the re-examination and the palace examination, one person from the first class will be awarded the first-class bodyguard, the second and third class will be awarded the second-class guard; ten people from the second class will be awarded the third-class guard, sixteen people from the third class will be awarded the blue feather guard, and the rest will be on guard duty ( Green camp official position) registered and selected with the Ministry of War.
5. Systematic subjects. The above-mentioned series of examinations for students, candidates, and scholars are all regular examinations in the imperial examination system. In addition to regular subjects, the imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty also had system subjects, or system examinations, which were held only rarely. The imperial examination was carried out by the emperor himself in the palace. In the seventeenth year of Kangxi's reign and in the first year of Qianlong's reign, the Bo Xue Hong Ci Course was opened twice, allowing central and local officials to recommend people with excellent academic performance and excellent writing and writing. Anyone who is already in office or not can take the exam. The examination questions were poetry, fu, judgment, etc., and those whose scores were ranked first or second were awarded Hanlin officials. In addition, every year when the emperor ascended the throne, he ordered various places to promote filial piety, integrity and uprightness, and the emperor visited to call for examinations, which also belonged to the system of subjects.
The Abolition of the Imperial Examination System in the Qing Dynasty
After the Opium War, the powerful Chinese nation suddenly found itself the "Sick Man of East Asia", and the Qing Dynasty was in the midst of "domestic and foreign aggression". There is an urgent need for scientific and technological talents, talents for military power, talents for economic revitalization and talents for political reform to adapt to the changing times. However, the eight-legged imperial examination system based on the Five Classics and Four Books was increasingly out of touch with social needs and could not adapt to the trend of the times. With the "Five Great Inventions of the World", the imperial examination system came to an end. The imperial examination system also tried to reform and focus on current affairs to adapt to the situation. In the 14th year of Guangxu (AD 1888), arithmetic was added to the Wuzi Section, and one person was admitted according to regulations. In 1901, the Qing Dynasty issued an edict ordering the abolition of the eight-part essay in the rural examinations starting from the second year. In September 1905, the imperial examination system that had been in place for more than a thousand years was completely abolished.
About the author
Wang Xiaojie is a member of the China Folk Photography Association, the Henan Museum Society, the Henan Ancient Architecture Society, the Henan Writers Association, and the Henan Photographers Association. , a member of the Henan Young Photographers Association, and the curator of the Neixiang County Government Museum.
?
He has won the "Top Ten Outstanding Youths in Nanyang City", "Nanyang City Youth Science and Technology Award", "Top Ten Cultural Newcomers in Henan Province", and "Top Ten Youth Models in Henan Province" ?And other honorary titles. Published titles include "Celebrities of the Past in Neixiang", "Seven-Star Range Rover", "Interpretation of Neixiang Ancient Yamen", "Selected Ancient Yamen's Strange Cases", "Collection of Neixiang County Yamen Couplets", and "Neixiang County Yamen Photography TV Series" ", "Baotianman Canyon Rafting TV Series", "Impression of Neixiang", "Revealing the Secret of Neixiang County Government" and other books.