Later, under the auspices of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the check-up system was further standardized: first, Confucianism was stipulated as the standard for selecting scholars; Second, it is stipulated that the contents of the inspection should include four aspects: morality, knowledge, law and policy; Third, the inspection is divided into two categories: annual inspection and royal inspection, and annual inspection is a routine subject. Topics include filial piety and scholar. The objects of Cha Xiaolian are local officials below 600 stone and Confucian scholars who are familiar with Confucian classics. After they are nominated, they are recommended by the county to the central government every year, and their way out is generally to be A Lang officials in the central government. There is a limit to the number of filial piety. During the Eastern Han Dynasty and Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that each county should raise one person every year with a population of more than 200,000, one person every two years with a population of less than 200,000 and one person every three years with a population of less than 654.38+ 10,000. Filial piety and incorruptibility are the main subjects that tea houses often take, and they are the right way to be an official. The so-called imperial edict refers to the imperial edict of recruiting talents and scholars. It is a temporary special subject with unlimited number of people and time.
Whether it is a promotion in the New Year or an imperial edict, these selected sages have to go through certain examination procedures before they can be appointed. There are two main examination methods: countermeasures and shooting strategies. The countermeasure is proposition composition, and the shooting strategy is lottery examination. The people promoted by the imperial edict were generally directly received by the emperor, and most of them asked what the emperor was most concerned about at that time.
It should be admitted that the system of combining leadership inspection with mass recommendation has also selected a large number of useful talents for the Han Dynasty in hundreds of years. However, with the increasingly serious political corruption, the phenomenon of false inspection occurs from time to time. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system had become a tool for powerful people or officials to install private people, and the system gradually lost its original function.
In order to correct the defects of the inspection system in the Han Dynasty, the Cao Wei regime began to implement the "nine-product system". According to this system, the central government has set up "Zhongzheng" officials in each county, who are responsible for visiting and assessing local scholars, and are divided into top, top, middle and top nine according to their talent, virtue and reputation; Upper middle school, middle school and lower middle school; Down, up, down, down. Then, according to the ranking of Jinshi, recommend the official candidates to the official department. The discipline of scholars has changed, and "Zhongzheng" has the right to be promoted or demoted.
The significance of the "nine-grade Zheng Zhi system" is that the power of officers and men to evaluate grades is returned to the central government from the rich and famous people, which has changed the situation that the rich and famous people manipulated the assessment since the Eastern Han Dynasty to some extent, thus making the selection of talents relatively fairer and more just.
However, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the "Nine-product Zheng Zhi System" was seriously damaged due to the re-emergence of the noble family. The officials in charge of selecting talents used their control over the examination power to manipulate the people's power and seize the power of China. They arbitrarily evaluate and corrupt official management, and the world is aggressive, but they compete for taste and don't listen. The final result is "no poverty for the top grade, no home for the bottom grade."
(The Book of Liu Jin Yichuan). Jiupin is becoming improper. All the top grades belong to noble families, and even if the disciples of poor families embrace genuine talent and practical learning, they can only be inferior.
In view of the fact that the "nine-grade clock political system" not only suppressed the enterprising road of a large number of poor scholars, but also hindered the strengthening of autocratic imperial power, when the Sui Dynasty was established, the clock political system was abolished and a "state government" was established to recommend talents, but scholars were no longer classified, so we only need to refer to the two subjects of "Conscientiousness, Integrity and Integrity" for investigation and recommendation. After Yang Di ascended the throne, he ordered civil and military officials at all levels to recommend talents in the great cause of three years (607). * * Divided into 10 subjects: filial piety, chastity, good conduct, adherence to the Constitution, academic sensitivity, beautiful literary talent and brilliant talent. After another two years, the judges in Zhaozhou are divided into four subjects: academic ability and excellent talents; Brawn is powerful, transcendent and equal; Diligent in being an official and able to manage political affairs; Stand upright, do not avoid strong defense. Obviously, the method of selecting officials in Sui Dynasty is an inheritance and improvement of the imperial examination system in Han Dynasty, and it still can't solve the problem of objective criteria in talent selection.
After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the Tang Dynasty, following the Sui Dynasty, adjusted the official selection system and formally established the imperial examination system. In the fourth year of Tang Gaozu Wude (62 1), each state was ordered to take the talent selection examination, and the qualification for registration was known by each village. After the qualification is confirmed, the county exam and the governor retest. Those who pass the examination are recommended by the states to the central government from June 5438 to 00 10 every year, and those who pass the examination are called Jinshi. This makes Jinshi an important subject, and for the first time, it is clear that the central examination will be held every year from 10, and it is clear that the county-level local examination is only a preliminary examination, which is equivalent to the later provincial examination. Only the official examination at the central level will be the national examination. In the second year, the central government of the Tang Dynasty clearly stipulated that scholars voluntarily signed up and voted on their own, without any recommendation from the government or officials, so that the lower-class scholars really got the opportunity to enter the ruling class. The subjects of this kind of examination in Tang Dynasty are divided into general subjects and system subjects: the annual examination is called general subjects; The temporary examination held by the emperor according to the imperial decree is called the examination system. There are more than 50 regular subjects such as Scholar, Gentleman, Scholar, Faming, Zi Ming and Shu Ming, which are called "separate subjects" for examination and selection. Moreover, because these students who took the exam were all donated by the local government, the exact meaning of the word imperial examination is "giving talents by subject".
In the Tang Dynasty, the Ming Classics and Jinshi subjects were just an attempt, and the content of the examination was Confucian Classics or current affairs. Later, although the examination subjects of these two subjects have changed, the basic spirit is that scholars attach importance to poetry and fu, and the classics are emphasized by the ink. The so-called sticking sutra is to open a page of Confucian classics at will, cover it on the left and right sides, with only one line in the middle, and then cover the three big characters with paper stickers for participants to fill in. Mo Yi is a simple written test of biblical words. As long as you are familiar with Confucian classics and official notes of the Tang Dynasty, you can try it in middle school, while poetry and fu need literary talent. It's easier to learn by rote. After all, literary talent needs some kind of talent, so it's difficult to focus on the Jinshi subject of poetry and fu, while it's relatively easy to focus on the Mingjing subject of Confucianism.
Although the imperial examination system was established in the Tang Dynasty, it was not until the Northern Song Dynasty that the perfection and finalization of this system had an extremely important impact on the political development of China. During the Xining period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Shenzong appointed Wang Anshi to preside over the political reform, and the reform of the imperial examination system bore the brunt. Its main contents are as follows: 1. The complicated subjects in the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty were merged, and only Jinshi was set up. 2. Abolish the forms of poetry in the exam, such as "Fu", "Later" and "Mo Yi", and focus on learning classics, theories and strategies. 3. There is only one test in the Palace Examination, which shall not be less than 1000 words. Candidates must be promoted from school to school, and finally take the exam organized by the central government. This method was also established in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and four fixed grades were formed: cadet, trainee (scholar), juren and Jinshi. The three important exams are state exam, provincial exam and palace exam. The state examination was held in various places, and the passed juren went to Beijing to participate in the three-day provincial examination held by the Ministry of Rites in Hiram's Hospital. The palace examination was presided over by the emperor himself and held in the palace. All the imperial examination scholars were awarded official positions, and there was no need for official department selection.
The imperial examination system established in the Song Dynasty was destroyed in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. By the Ming Dynasty, the strict imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty was fully restored and developed and adjusted on this basis. In the third year of Hongwu (1370), Zhu Yuanzhang issued a letter to open the imperial examination, stipulating that all Chinese and foreign ministers must enter the official position through the imperial examination, and those who are not in the imperial examination may not obtain official positions. Imperial examination has become an important part of bureaucracy.
1644, Qing soldiers entered the customs. Two years later, the Qing government held the first imperial examination, which was generally copied from the Ming Dynasty. There was little change in the Qing dynasty, and the form and content were almost completely inherited from the Ming dynasty.
Later generations always said that the imperial examination system inhibited the growth of talents. As we all know, in the absence of other better selection methods, a strict examination system may be the best selection system. The imperial examination probably belongs to such a system.
According to the general principles of the imperial examination system, it has the following basic characteristics or significance:
First, students can sign up for the exam themselves, regardless of their background, status or property status, without the recommendation of officials. Everyone is equal before the score, and "the court is Tanaka Lang, and the court is the emperor at dusk" and "the book has its own golden house, and the book has its own Yan Ruyu". This is probably the pursuit of all scholars under the absolutely fair examination system. The reason why this system has been adopted by Japan, Vietnam and South Korea for a long time and valued by European enlightenment thinkers in the18th century is actually its "three fairness" principle. /kloc-the description of the civil service system established in Britain in the middle of the 0/9th century and the civil service system determined by it are obviously the "system transplant" of the imperial examination system.
Second, imperial examinations are held regularly, and there is no need to wait for special imperial edicts. This is conducive to the standardization and procedure of the examination system. The proposition officer is always pondering the proposition, the examinee is always preparing with great concentration, everything is going on in an orderly way, and all the results are predictable: no pains, no gains.
Third, the examination is particularly strict. Admission depends entirely on the quality of the articles in the examination room, which effectively excludes the existence of hereditary aristocrats as a class, thus promoting the benign flow of social classes and ensuring the freshness, vitality and motivation of the ruling class. Strict examination discipline and severe cheating punishment mechanism ensure the fairness and openness of this system. According to statistics, nearly half of the scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were people who had never studied or studied in their ancestors but had never been an official. They were typical "poor families".
Fourthly, as a stable talent selection system, the imperial examination system has selected a large number of talents for China society during its 1300 years. According to incomplete statistics, there were nearly 65,438+10,000 scholars in the past dynasties, and there were millions of scholars. Of course, these people are not all elites and outstanding people, but they have been able to go through five customs and cut six generals, and they have not been idle. Since the Song and Ming Dynasties, famous officials have been the pillars of the country. With a few exceptions, they are basically scholars. The practice after Yingzong in the Ming Dynasty was that either Jinshi could not enter the Hanlin or Hanlin could not enter the cabinet. The only way for imperial examination to become a senior official.
Fifth, the imperial examination system has greatly promoted and demonstrated the popularization of knowledge and the cultivation of folk reading atmosphere. The temptation of fame and fortune and the expectation of honoring ancestors may sometimes be said to be an unhealthy psychology, but more often it is a spur and a driving force. Therefore, from the objective effect, the fashion of being an official in the imperial examination promoted the realm of civil society and purified the atmosphere of civil society. Although grassroots scholars inevitably have a sour taste all over their bodies, it is this sour taste that adds to the book fragrance of civil society.
Of course, the imperial examination, as a system, is full of vitality, but at the same time it also lurks a profound crisis. Wang Anshi canceled the subjects of poetry and fu in the imperial examination, and chose scholars by studying Confucian classics instead. Originally, he thought that Tang poetry was flashy, so he merged many subjects into one and tried to study Confucian classics. Wang Anshi's political reform has its progressive significance, and there is no dogmatic attempt. However, the law will be harmful for a long time, and Wang Anshi's practice of taking Jing Yi as a counselor gradually became rigid in the Yuan Dynasty. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, perhaps it was due to the requirements of standardization and objectification of examinations. In short, when the imperial examination was held in Hongwu period, there were clear requirements for the system and style.
Although the style of imperial examination in Hongwu period is required, it is not clear. During the Chenghua period, under the advocacy of Qin Wang, Xie Qian and others, relatively strict procedures were gradually formed, and the imperial examination became dogmatic and became "stereotyped writing". The so-called "stereotyped writing" is similar to the segmentation in today's middle school composition education, that is, each article consists of eight parts according to a certain format and number of words: topic-breaking, topic-bearing, beginning, stock-raising, middle stock, rear stock and stock-raising:
It is stipulated that the meaning of the topic should be made clear in two sentences, which means that the meaning of the topic is broken. In fact, using today's words to explain is to the point. In other words, you must point out the meaning of the question in a short sentence at the beginning, so that readers can know what the main content of your article is. And it is stipulated that only two sentences can clarify the meaning of the question. These two sentences are to summarize and explain the meaning of the problem, but you can't directly say the meaning of the problem, so you should stay in suspense. The problem solving is the most important part of the eight-part essay, and the quality of the problem solving directly affects the expression behind it. There is an eight-part essay entitled "Zi Yue", and the two words that break the title are: "Every man is the law of the world, in a word, he is the teacher of the world". The former sentence breaks the word "Zi" and the latter sentence breaks the word "Yue". This is a relatively standard question.
Undertaking the topic is to elaborate important points by assuming the significance of the problem, which is a further supplement to the theme. It has the function of "introduction" and a connecting link between the preceding and the following. Three or five sentences are enough.
The discussion begins with a lecture. The first two words are often used to lead to the following, starting with the words "Yi", "Ruoyue", "Si", "Fu" and "Si Chang". The discussion begins with a saint's tone, explaining the intention of the article in depth, but at most it can't exceed 10 sentences.
Start at the beginning and start at the end. The above is the first half of stereotyped writing.
The following four parts are the formal discussion of the eight-part essay, focusing on China's share as a whole. In these four copies, each copy has two parallel dual words, so it is also called bi, zhong bi, mo bi and mo bi. Some researchers call it ratio, small ratio, middle ratio and rear ratio; Or up ratio, middle ratio, back ratio and beam ratio. Comparison, yes, is always a formal discussion. In this way, among the four strands, there are two pairs of figurative words in each strand, and the length of the sentence and the simplification of the words are relative, totaling * * * eight strands, so it is called eight-part essay. In other words, in these four paragraphs, it is required to use parallelism sentences as much as possible, and pay attention to relative parts of speech and relative levels. It is not hard to imagine that it seems not too difficult to find the right sentence in a poem. The difficulty is that this long speech should pay attention to parallelism, part of speech, flatness and rhythm, which is really not that easy. In a sense, the eight-part essay is an examination format that integrates classics, theory and poetry, and pays attention to diction.
The Ming dynasty stipulated that the meaning of the four imperial examination books should not be less than 200 words, but it is not limited to more. During the reign of Qing Qianlong, it was stipulated that each article should not exceed 700 words. Critics always think that stereotyped writing is not only a rigid system, but also a statement representing sages, so most stereotyped writing is semi-passable, lacking in literary talent and momentum. Xu Dachun, a beginner in the Qing Dynasty, described the harm of stereotyped writing in Tao Qing and said:
Scholars, at worst, recite the current language, and the mud country tries to become a talent, but who knows its tricks of deceiving others. Two questions, three questions, wagging your head and wagging your tail, the sidewalk is the holy door. Do you know what three links and four histories are? Which emperor was Han Zu and Tang Zong? Put a tall head on the desk, buy a new sharp weapon in the shop, and you can read your shoulders. What's the taste of chewing bagasse? Fail to live up to time and be in a coma for life. It is also unlucky for the people's court to accuse him of cheating senior officials.
This criticism can be said to be timely and harmful to stereotyped writing. Because as the imperial examination system becomes more and more standardized, the proposition becomes more and more regular, so some unscrupulous tutors do not require scholars to study hard in combination with reality and fully understand Confucian classics, but rely on their own experience and wisdom to guess and bet on topics. As Gu criticized, scholars don't even read Confucian classics, but only remember the articles they can write and dozens of model essays. ("Rizhilu Novel") This is very similar to the lack of Chinese review in the college entrance examination, especially the composition review. It is in this sense that stereotyped writing of literati binds people's spirituality and creativity.
Of course, the disadvantages of stereotyped writing are not the original intention of the founders of the system. The establishment of this system is mainly due to a series of fairness and justice issues such as standardization and objectification of examinations, because only within the prescribed number of words and time units can we examine the differences of candidates. It's like a sports competition. All the contestants must abide by the same rules, without exception. Moreover, the evaluation of composition has always been the most subjective subject for readers. If the structure of the article is not carefully analyzed, the reviewers will have different opinions. Therefore, the establishment of this system, as Su Shi said, "creates innovation in statutes, and makes wonderful reasoning outside the uninhibited". ("After the Painting of Wu Daozi") That is, all subjects are required to innovate, win a decisive victory under certain rules, and measure the pros and cons. And this "certain law" is to set the specific composition, rules, structure, quotations, arguments, materials, theoretical depth, literary talent and other elements of the article. If the author can't stick to the theme, write a thousand words, and digress from Wan Li, of course, he can't score, so those tutors constantly sum up their experience and finally sum up the methods of sticking to the theme, pay attention to the momentum and structure of the article, and express and publicize their own personality.
In the stereotyped writing for hundreds of years, of course, it is a mixture of good and evil. Even those so-called top scholars are not all outstanding talents. Just like the current college entrance examination, we can't give up the college entrance examination just because not all outstanding talents are selected in the college entrance examination, because this relatively fair and open examination system has selected most outstanding people. Looking through the list of scholars in Ming and Qing Dynasties, we can deeply understand the advantages and disadvantages of this system.
After the Opium War, China people gradually felt that the imperial examination system of stereotyped writing was far from meeting the needs of reality, so they began a difficult course of seeking truth from the West. Wei Yuan put forward "learning from foreigners to control foreigners" and emphasized that China's traditional knowledge should be expanded from literature and history books to science and technology. Shortly thereafter, Feng Guifen more clearly put forward the method and content of changing the imperial examination, and severely accused stereotyped writing of taking scholars, which made "smart people spend their old age and waste the time of writing, trying posts and opening molds". This makes Wu's Scholars, Cao Xueqin's Dream of Red Mansions and Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio more theoretical and rational, and finally rings the death knell of the imperial examination system.
After a series of war losses, especially after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, many people of insight felt that just learning western science and technology could not fundamentally help change the situation in China. They especially accused the imperial examination system of hurting talents, and tried to reform or even abolish the imperial examination system as the first or prerequisite for China's progress. Yan Fu emphasized in "On Saving the Nation" published by 1895 that after the Sino-Japanese War, the most obvious and inevitable principle in the world was that China's unchangeable law would die. But where will China's reform begin? Yan Fu's answer is simple. In short, he said, don't rush to waste stereotyped writing. He pointed out that stereotyped writing did not harm China, but the result of stereotyped writing was that there were no useful talents in China. According to his own personal experience, he summed up three disadvantages of stereotyped writing: first, it hurts wisdom; Second, it is harmful to bad ideas; Third, idleness is harmful. With one of these three evils, it is impossible not to subjugate the country and exterminate the species, besides, China now has three evils.
The disadvantages of the imperial examination system with stereotyped writing as the main content were not unknown to the top decision makers in the Qing court. After decades of discussion, the problems in this system are obvious, but it seems difficult for the top officials of the Qing court to make up their minds about how to reform it and whether it can be abolished at once, because it involves the way out for countless young talents and must find a proper solution. Therefore, when Emperor Guangxu declared the Ming Dynasty as the imperial edict on June 1898 1 1, he clearly announced the establishment of Shi Jing University Hall as the base of new knowledge education and the training base for young intellectuals to become famous in the future, and it seemed that he expected to establish a new school to replace the old education system; Second, the disadvantages of the imperial examination with stereotyped writing as the main content are generally pointed out, but there is no clear view on whether to abolish the imperial examination and how to reform it, and it seems that we are still looking forward to finding the best and most appropriate scheme.
It is undoubtedly right for the Qing government to adopt a cautious attitude towards the reform of the examination system involving the future of countless young talents. It is undoubtedly prudent for the Government to start building Shi Jing university halls and new schools in various places to provide a buffer for young students in the transition period. However, the ambiguous attitude of the Qing government towards the imperial examination system eventually caused great dissatisfaction among the younger generation of intellectuals who advocated political reform and reform. /kloc-in June of 0/6, Kang Youwei took advantage of the opportunity of meeting with Emperor Guangxu to point out the harm of Chen stereotyped imperial examination system:
Those who study stereotyped writing don't read books after the Qin and Han Dynasties, let alone take exams in all countries in the world, but they are tired of being a big official. There are many ministers today, but what they can't cope with is all caused by stereotyped writing. Therefore, the cutting of Liaodong in Taitai province was not cut by the court, but by stereotyped writing; The sum of 20 million yuan was not lost to the imperial court but to stereotyped writing; Jiaozhou, Luda, Weihai and Guangzhou Bay were not cut by the imperial court, but by stereotyped writing.
This blames the decline of China on the stereotyped writing system, which is of course in line with the general understanding of new intellectuals.
Kang Youwei's suggestion was recognized by Emperor Guangxu. He also believed that the biggest difference between China and the West lies in their respective education systems. What westerners learn is useful practical learning, while what China learns is basically useless. Of course, these useless things refer to the imperial examination system with stereotyped writing as the main content.
On June 23, Emperor Guangxu announced the abolition of stereotyped writing system, demanding that after having obtained the provincial examination, the examination of maternity department should stop using the four-book proposition, and all policies should be changed. At the same time, it is announced that this reform will not be started this year, but will be formally implemented three years later. As for how to divide fields, propositions, examinations and other detailed articles of association, we can discuss them again, and then the relevant competent departments will formulate and publish them.
Under the direction of Emperor Guangxu, Governor Zhang Zhidong of Huguang and Governor Chen Baozhen of Hunan jointly presented a new chapter in the imperial examination, put forward a comprehensive plan on how to improve the imperial examination system and protect the rights and interests of young intellectuals after the abolition of stereotyped writing, and solved the contradictions in the process of abolishing stereotyped writing and reforming the imperial examination. This scheme still adheres to the principle that the essence of Confucian ethics cannot be abolished. The so-called "middle school as the body" means sticking to Confucian ethics and sticking to the major policies of emperors in previous dynasties. As for the disadvantages of stereotyped writing, everyone knows that it should be reformed. However, because the imperial examination system is the academic system in the world and the fundamental reason of the country, any reform should be cautious and properly discussed. They believe that the disadvantages of stereotyped imperial examination can be discussed from five aspects, that is to say, the so-called reform is limited to these five aspects: first, correcting the name. The so-called stereotyped examination, which has been used for many years, was renamed Four Books and Five Classics to show retro, and its format was roughly like lecture notes, classics and classics. The second is to set the topic. The meaning of the four books is given to the original four books, and the meaning of the five classics is given to the original five classics, or the whole chapter, or several chapters, or the whole section, or several sections, or one sentence, or several sentences, and words are not allowed to be deleted or added, nor are they allowed to be changed according to their meanings; The third is the positive body. In all exam articles, simple reasoning is the most important, and it is not allowed to gild the lily, flashy and grandstanding. The fourth is to collect facts. All compositions in the exam should be allowed to quote historical facts, draw lessons from various books and demonstrate in detail. They should be encouraged, but they should not go against the purpose of the exam and should not be mixed with reckless essays. The fifth is idleness and evil. If you explain the fallacies and heresies of Zhou and Qin philosophers, the nonsense of the second child, the foreign dialects and the obscene language of newspapers, all deviant remarks must be strictly screened and not allowed in.
If these five aspects can be achieved, Zhang Zhidong and Chen Baozhen believe that although the form of the so-called stereotyped examination has changed, the purpose and requirements of the examination composition are still in line with the sacred teachings of halal elegance, which naturally will not cause opposition from candidates, because they have not fundamentally given up the road on which they depend for development. From this point of view, Zhang Zhidong and Chen Baozhen's "properly discussed" reform plan actually only slightly changed the face of stereotyped writing, and did not fundamentally abandon the stereotyped writing system and change the strategy as Kang Youwei and others demanded. However, the advantage of Zhang and Chen's scheme is to gradually change its content on the premise of retaining the old examination form, which is naturally more acceptable to students and thus less likely to cause social unrest.
As for the form of examination, Zhang Zhidong and Chen Baozhen's plan still advocates three subjects, but the content and form of the three subjects are slightly adjusted. According to their design, the purpose of the first game is to select those who have knowledge, the second game is to seek generalists in erudition, and the third game is to seek purity in generalists. Learn before you make an appointment, be rough before you are refined, so that the selected talents are neither pedantic nor ignorant, nor are they extreme and arrogant. Each of the three exams has its own emphasis. The first two exams focused on the study of Chinese and western economic affairs, while the last exam focused on students' knowledge and understanding of Confucian ethics, and the scope was limited to the four book meanings and the five classics meanings. As for the order of admission, they suggest not waiting until all three exams are over. Instead, you should take them out of the first exam and return first next time. In this way, after three exams, there are fewer and fewer candidates. "The poor have no pain in waiting for the exam, and there is nothing wrong with copying it. The master is not afraid of being hasty." Do three things well at one stroke, and there are many talents.
As for palace examination after the three subjects, Zhang Zhidong and Chen Baozhen think that it should not be abolished, but should be strengthened and improved. The purpose of imperial examination is to let the emperor personally inspect talents and talents, and get the correct friendship from Ming Dow, such as Dong Zhongshu, and use it to speak frankly, such as Liu Kui. Therefore, it is not advisable to continue to choose lowercase letters according to their merits. As a matter of fact, all the candidates who pass the palace examination will get corresponding official positions, and their main job in the future will be to emphasize practical learning and practical politics. Therefore, in any case, the contents such as literary small letters should not appear in the court examination, but should be awarded corresponding official positions according to their political knowledge and practical ability, so as to urge them to pay attention to strengthening the country and defending the enemy, thus cutting into the urgent task of being an official and repairing the government.
Of course, Ci and Zhang's calligraphy are also indispensable talents in political life and cannot be abandoned. However, if the imperial court really needs such talents, it can issue a special decree, instead of making it a routine like the recruitment story in the south study in the past.
It is true that the designs of Zhang Zhidong and Chen Baozhen have carried out considerable reforms on the old examination system on the premise that the stereotyped examination system must be reformed by default, which is mainly reflected in the content. As for the form, this plan should not be greatly adjusted as far as possible, so as not to cause a fierce rebound and unnecessary debate. Therefore, this scheme not only caters to the new trend, but also fully takes care of the old habits formed over hundreds of years, and is a compromise between the old and the new. /kloc-in July of 0/9, the Qing government issued a new imperial examination plan according to this plan. At this point, the movement of abolishing stereotyped writing advocated by Kang Youwei and others was finally implemented by the "prudent plan" of "prudent reformers" such as Zhang Zhidong.
The prudent plan of Zhang Zhidong and others only temporarily calmed the old and new contradictions. In fact, with the spread of new knowledge, the imperial examination system itself is also facing a profound survival crisis. Especially after 190 1 the Qing government announced the implementation of the New Deal, new education in various places was in full swing. More importantly, the change of values and the increase of social demand for new knowledge have greatly reduced the number of imperial examinations. By 1904, the Qing government promulgated the constitution of the academy. Thus, although the imperial examination system continues to exist, it is no longer a step for young students to directly enter foreign schools or study abroad, and its existence is of little significance. 1September, 905, the Qing government approved the invitation of Yuan Shikai and Zhang Zhidong to stop the imperial examination, and announced that from the following year, all provincial examinations would be stopped. At this point, China's imperial examination system experienced ups and downs of 1300 years, and finally completed its historical mission and died.
From today's perspective, the first problem of the imperial examination system is that it is easy to cause the social mentality of "official standard". The intellectual class is the representative of social culture, but the imperial examination system monopolized almost all the energy of this class. The supremacy of administrative power determines that wealth depends on your wealth, and wealth depends on your power, otherwise wealth will not be guaranteed. Landlords and wealthy businessmen rely mainly on political means rather than economic means if they want to continue to get rich or escape bankruptcy. Therefore, almost all wealthy families in China traditional society seek the imperial examination, or at least cultivate a scholar who can deal with local officials, so as to safeguard their family's economic and political interests. Song Zhenzong's famous work "Persuade to Learn" declares that "one should pursue his ambition, and he will study at the window after the Six Classics", which truly reveals the actual purpose of scholars under the imperial examination system. Therefore, although people in the whole traditional society in China are pursuing knowledge, in the final analysis, this pursuit is to be an official, which is what Confucius said: "Learning to be excellent is to be an official". Only officials can guarantee his wealth and enjoyment. That's what the so-called "you have to suffer to be the master" means. On the one hand, this has caused the social mentality of the whole society, on the other hand, it is indeed a huge waste of social resources. Countless young people have spent a long time preparing for the imperial examination, but as Feng Guifen pointed out, they will take the examination as their lifelong career, and they will persist in entering and leaving the examination room and grow old year after year. (Protest in School, Reform the Imperial Examination) Everyone expects to be among the ruling class, but after all, only a few people can realize their ideals.
Another problem of the imperial examination system is the deformity of China people's knowledge structure, which has become more and more prominent in modern times. Under the imperial examination system, in order to cope with the examination, China intellectuals must devote all their energies to the knowledge required by the imperial examination. As a result, generations of intellectuals struggled in the cage of the imperial examination, never leaving their eyes on the four books and five classics, and all they learned were the knowledge that officials should be promoted, but they ignored the real talents and practical knowledge that were really useful to the national economy and people's livelihood. Needless to say, China's ancient natural science was backward, and even though its practical technology was developed, it was always made by non-intellectual craftsmen, which was regarded as "ingenious" by orthodox intellectuals. Under the imperial examination system, intellectuals are full of things allowed by the government, and they are always good at exams but have no free creative thinking.