Past events of the Civil Service Examination in the Republic of China: Entering the examination room at four in the morning.
Next Sunday, the 2014 National Examination written test will be held. By then, 1.52 million candidates nationwide will compete for 19,000 jobs, and the admission rate is only 1.3.
The Republic of China Civil Service Examination starts at 4o.
Only 40 out of nearly 3,000 applicants passed the exam.
Did you know? Did you know? Intense competition for civil servants emerged as early as 1931. The reporter of Modern Express learned that the history of the former site of the Wang Puppet National Government was recently published. The book introduces the origin of the Nanjing National Government Examination Yuan and the sensational first higher education examination held by the Examination Yuan, which was the civil service examination at that time. Nearly 3,000 people applied across the country, but only 100 were admitted in the end, with an elimination rate of 97%.
Modern Express reporter Zhao Dandan and Lu Weixiang Fenghua
Where did you take the exam that year?
Due to a shortage of funds, the examination room was used for exams.
The entire examination institute is divided into two parallel axes, east and west, so there are two gates in the east and west. The east gate is now the city gate of CPPCC. The west gate is now the gate of the municipal party committee and government.
After entering, the most eye-catching thing is the Zhiming Building built in 1933, which is the city hall auditorium directly opposite the gate. According to reports, the Zhiming Building was the examination room for civil servants at that time. There are two examination rooms in the middle of the building, one on the east side and one on the west side.
In 1931, due to insufficient funds and no dedicated examination room, the first national examination of the Republic of China was held at the former Central University and Nanjing Middle School.
Like the municipal party committee and government compound, there are also guards at the entrance of the examination room. However, these guards are not soldiers with guns, but warriors wearing classical costumes and holding swords.
Who can apply for the exam that year?
After graduation, all students can take the exam, and nearly 3,000 people have signed up so far.
On July 15, 1931, the Nanjing National Government Examination Yuan held the first sensational higher education examination, the first civil service examination.
Like the current national examination, the Civil Service Examination in the Republic of China was also very popular. The book says that nearly 3,000 people signed up to take the exam that year. Because only Nanjing has a test center, it attracts people from all over the country to take the test. For example, some people came by boat from Jiangxi and Hunan to sign up. After arriving on shore, if you haven't decided on your place of residence yet, sign up first. On average, four to five hundred people sign up every day. Due to the large number of people, registration was originally scheduled to end on July 5, but was later extended by another five days.
Who can apply? The college stipulates that all graduates can take the exam, that is, all college students graduating from public and private universities, independent colleges and junior colleges can take the exam. But the application process back then was much more complicated than it is now, requiring registration, physical examination, qualification review, etc.
How long does it take?
The exam lasts 7 days and enters the exam room at 4 am.
Currently, the civil service examination only lasts for one day, and many candidates complain that the national examination is a torture.
In contrast, the Civil Service Examination in the Republic of China was a tug-of-war. Candidates not only have to fight a psychological battle, but also a physical one.
According to records, the exam that year lasted from July 15 to July 21. Every morning at 4 o'clock. At 10 o'clock in the morning, people gathered together to wait for attendance. If they're late, they can't let me in. Then, the exam starts at 6 o'clock, and each exam lasts 3 hours. There were two exams a day, and I had to sit in the exam room for 6 hours every day for 7 consecutive days.
Examination questions
What subject are you studying?
China, law, finance, etc. I still have to give a speech.
The exam content is even more complicated. For example, ordinary administrators have to take 12 exams, including Chinese, civil law, criminal law, administrative law, modern Chinese political history, finance, labor law, etc. Diplomats and Consular Officials
The book records that the members of the Bidding Committee were responsible for writing and grading papers, and were employed by the National Government. Most of them were well-known domestic scholars at the time. Their list was kept strictly confidential in advance.
After receiving the letter of appointment from the National Government, the members gathered at the National Government for an oath-taking ceremony. Dai Hui personally locked the place where the proposition was made and sealed it with a red paper seal stamped with the seal of the Examination Yuan. From then on, for two months, examiners can concentrate on drafting test questions without contact with the outside world.
Similarly, chefs and staff should also be isolated from the outside world and prohibited from sending any public or private letters and telegrams. When the exam is over and the official post is made, Dai will personally unblock the post and let go of the examiner who has been blocked for two months.
Was the exam difficult at that time?
Only 40 out of nearly 3,000 people passed the exam, and none of the girls passed.
Due to the difficult content of the exam questions and the high scoring standards, the number of people who passed the written exam was extremely small, with only 40 passing in the end. Dai, the then director of the Nanjing Examination Yuan, personally applied to the National Government to add 10 points to the candidates and barely admitted 100 candidates in full.
Among these 100 people, 40 have work experience, and the average age is 27-28 years old. According to records, not one of the 100 qualified persons was a woman.
In fact, there were 20 female candidates at the time, and after two trials, 12 women still stood up. I thought there would always be one or two people who passed, but in the end, no one persisted until the end, and they all fell into Sun Mountain. Later, the examination center analyzed that it may be because female candidates are not as good as male candidates in aspects such as competitive courage, calmness on the spot, and ability to cope with multiple subjects.
Examination venue of the former National Government Examination Institute: Zhiming Building
Starting next year, the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee and Government Courtyard at No. 41 Beijing East Road and the CPPCC compound at No. 43 Beijing East Road will Open to the public regularly. The predecessor of these two courtyards was the former National Government Examination Yuan.
In 1928, the National Government established five agencies: administration, legislation, judiciary, examination, and supervision. Dai was appointed dean of the Examination Yuan. Later, he led the preparatory staff of the Examination Yuan to inspect the site.
The book says that Dai was attracted by the beautiful lakes and mountains in the Jilongshan area, a geomantic treasure, and immediately decided to set the location of the examination institute here. To this end, demolition has also been carried out in the surrounding areas. The headquarters requisitioned Wumiao Temple, Zhaozhong Temple, Zangqian Normal School, Zangqianshan Hall, and Guanyin Temple Fair on the west side of Wumiao Temple, and built a complex of Ming and Qing ancient buildings stretching from the Pearl River in the east to Jilong Mountain in the west. The Mingzhi Building in the courtyard was the national examination room in the late Republic of China.