YOU WERE LOOKING FOR: What Was The Civil Service Exam In China
This system was reversed during the short-lived Sui dynasty — , which initiated a civil service bureaucracy recruited through written examinations and recommendation. The first civil service examination system was established by Emperor Wen of...
However, he had already become a well-known poet at age 12, and among other things he went on to such distinction as a profound literati and dramatist that it would not be far-fetched to regard him as China's answer to William Shakespeare: Wang...
Modern civil service[ edit ] In the 18th century, in response to economic changes and the growth of the British Empire , the bureaucracy of institutions such as the Office of Works and the Navy Board greatly expanded. Each had its own system, but in general, staff were appointed through patronage or outright purchase. By the 19th century, it became increasingly clear that these arrangements were falling short. During the eighteenth century a number of Englishmen wrote in praise of the Chinese examination system, some of them going so far as to urge the adoption for England of something similar.
The first concrete step in this direction was taken by the British East India Company in Thomas Taylor Meadows, Britain's consul in Guangzhou , China argued in his Desultory Notes on the Government and People of China, published in , that "the long duration of the Chinese empire is solely and altogether owing to the good government which consists in the advancement of men of talent and merit only," and that the British must reform their civil service by making the institution meritocratic. Charles Trevelyan , an architect of Her Majesty's Civil Service , established in on his recommendations.
Influenced by the Chinese imperial examinations, the Northcote—Trevelyan Report of made four principal recommendations: that recruitment should be on the basis of merit determined through competitive examination, that candidates should have a solid general education to enable inter-departmental transfers, that recruits should be graded into a hierarchy and that promotion should be through achievement, rather than "preferment, patronage or purchase". It also recommended a clear division between staff responsible for routine "mechanical" work, and those engaged in policy formulation and implementation in an "administrative" class. The report's conclusions were immediately implemented, and a permanent, unified and politically neutral civil service was introduced as Her Majesty's Civil Service. A Civil Service Commission was also set up in to oversee open recruitment and end patronage, and most of the other Northcote—Trevelyan recommendations were implemented over some years.
There are, however, more nuanced ways to tell the tale. What is surprising is that, as originally drafted, the report contained only the most meagre proposals for establishing entry to the civil service via a competitive literary exam - one for intellectuals and one for mechanicals. There was such a proposal but it did not extend to departments subordinate to the Treasury.
Gladstone warmly supported other aspects of the report but criticised its limited attack on patronage. He wanted the principle of competition 'sanctioned in its full breadth', and applied to the Treasury 'with unsparing vigour' [and] when the amended report was published nearly a year later it proposed to apply the competitive principle to all departments.
Early in , [Prime Minister] Russell wrote to Gladstone to say he hoped Gladstone was 'not thinking seriously of the plan of throwing open to competition the whole civil service of this country'. The departmental heads, in their response to the report, also criticised the thinking underlying the proposals for change In the face of opposition from top civil servants, and a distinct lack of enthusiasm on the part of most ministers - particularly the Prime Minister - Gladstone was not inclined to push the matter too hard. The idea of a central competitive exam was dropped, along with most of the other proposals.
Only one other proposal was put into effect; in A year later the Civil Service Commission was established This was a tribute to its success in removing corruption, delivering public services even under the stress of two world wars , and responding effectively to political change. It also had a great international influence and was adapted by members of the Commonwealth. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act established a modern civil service in the United States, and by the turn of the 20th century almost all Western governments had implemented similar reforms.
Active Oldest Votes 8 I think it would be more appropriate to ask "what were the social statuses of men who failed the civil service exams? For this I would point you to the Wikipedia article on Imperial Civil Service Exams Even though only a small fraction about 5 percent of those who attempted the examinations actually passed them and even fewer received titles, the hope of eventual success sustained their commitment. Those who failed to pass did not lose wealth or local social standing; as dedicated believers in Confucian orthodoxy, they served, without the benefit of state appointments, as teachers, patrons of the arts, and managers of local projects, such as irrigation works, schools, or charitable foundations.
It seems as though, especially in your area of interest roughly the Yuan Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, failure of the exams was not viewed with particular disdain. Rather, while failure was obviously not as prestigious as passing the exams, the fact that one had sat for the exams at all was a powerful indicator of relative social standing. Often, study periods for the exams would last several years and consume much of the waking hours of an exam candidate. The very fact that one had been able to afford and then undertake such an expensive and time-consuming endeavor points to relative wealth, intelligence and perseverance. EDIT Through some correspondence with an acquaintance of mine who specializes in Chinese and Tibetan History, I stand by the answer above with one small caveat. Although the exams were difficult to pass the amount of money, time and effort invested in them meant that failure could be a huge loss of face. Many examinees were crushed and became bitter and disenfranchised.
Note also that there were multiple levels of the exams. Think of them as the local or municipal level, provincial level and nation wide level exams. It was statistically much easier to pass the local level exams than the imperial level exams and getting a local certification could make you the local big man on campus.
The goal of education was to enter into the civil service. The best and richest boys in the country would be educated in order to pass a civil service exam. What was the Chinese civil service? There was a group of people in Ancient China that helped the government and the emperor run the country. The members of this group were chosen with an examination that was extremely hard to pass. The civil service helped the government with its administration. Administration means paper work and the day-to-day running of the country, organising things like taxes and plans. To be in the civil service, you needed to be extremely clever. Education for the civil service To get an education in China in the first place, you had to be rich. However, the civil service entrance was based upon being an excellent scholar. During the reign of Emperor Wudi, an imperial university was founded. During the Sui Dynasty AD , the Sui Emperors would use the civil service examinations to develop civil service members.
They also developed a rule about who could become a member. This rule was that any officials from the civil service could not be related to the emperor or anyone that was born into elite families. In the Tang Dynasty AD , local schools were created so that young scholars could go and study all the classics and the number systems. The best scholars would then go into the jinshi exams. Students were selected based upon their intelligence and not because they were born into a rich family. Therefore, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the old noblemen, simply born into riches, were more or less wiped out and the most intelligent people were running the country.
They also had to rotate their job every three years. Thanks to the civil service, education became very important. It also became an aspiration a wish for young men to be clever because it meant they could earn lots of money and become very important and respected. Quiz What did the civil service do? When did the civil service begin? What did you have to do to join the civil service? What did you have to be good at to pass your exams? During which dynasty did you have to work away from home? Answers They helped the government run the country It began during the Han Dynasty You had to pass examinations You had to know the classic texts and be good with numbers You worked away from home during the Qing Dynasty.
Chinese examination system Enter your search terms: Chinese examination system, civil service recruitment method and educational system employed from the Han dynasty BC? AD until it was abolished by the Ch'ing dowager empress Tz'u Hsi in under pressure from leading Chinese intellectuals. The concept of a state ruled by men of ability and virtue was an outgrowth of Confucian philosophy.
The examination system was an attempt to recruit men on the basis of merit rather than on the basis of family or political connection. Because success in the examination system was the basis of social status and because education was the key to success in the system, education was highly regarded in traditional China. If a person passed the provincial examination, his entire family was raised in status to that of scholar gentry, thereby receiving prestige and privilege. The texts studied for the examination were the Confucian classics. In the T'ang dynasty ? Because some scholars criticized the emphasis on memorization without practical application and the narrow scope of the examinations, the system underwent further change in the Sung dynasty ? Wang An-shih reformed the examination, stressing the understanding of underlying ideas and the ability to apply classical insights to contemporary problems.
In the Ming dynasty ? Although only a small percentage of students could achieve office, students spent 20 to 30 years memorizing the orthodox commentaries in preparation for a series of up to eight examinations for the highest degree. By the 19th cent. After it was abolished, mass education along with a Western type curriculum was promoted. See W. Kracke, Jr. Miyazaki, China's Examination Hell tr. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright , Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Could you pass China's grueling, 5-hour civil service exam? Story highlights They are competing to be interviewed for one of 27, jobs Answer multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, then 3 hours of essay questions Beijing CNN Imagine taking a five-hour exam just to get a job interview. That's what nearly one million people did in China Sunday, taking the country's grueling civil service entrance exam, or Guokao. Test-takers had two hours to answer multiple-choice questions on topics covering language, mathematics, logic, politics, law and culture. That was followed by 3 hours of essay questions. The exam is only held once a year, so for those taking part, it's do or die. They are competing for 27, jobs. The odds of getting one -- after the exam and a subsequent interview -- are about 36 to 1. A graduate of Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University, she took the exam in hopes of an entry-level job with China's Ministry of Commerce.
She spent nearly four months studying for the test, reviewing old questions, taking mock exams and attending preparatory classes on the weekend. The jobs can also lead to membership in the ruling Communist Party, which brings additional prestige. Those hoping to take the exam must have at least a junior college degree, and be between the ages of 18 and They have to choose the jobs they're interested in when they register.
Such jobs are especially appealing at a time when economic growth in China has been steadily slowing. For now, Wang and other applicants will have to wait. Results of the exam won't come out until January, and if they've scored high enough, the actual job interviews will take place in February or March.
Photo: Xinhua Applications for the China's national civil service exam began on Tuesday, which puts a premium on the candidates' political qualities and will recruit for the country's grassroots departments. The State Administration of Civil Service SACS said more than 24, posts in 86 central government departments and 23 of their subordinate departments are open, 10, more than last year. The new law, which aims to facilitate civil service reform, states that well-performing civil servants should be rewarded, and those who fail in their performance appraisals could face demotion.
It also bans civil servants from working as leaders of industry regulators or administrative departments in charge of supervising businesses run by their spouses, children or spouses of their children. Reports said this year's exam will strengthen political reviews, which means candidates' political beliefs, positions, consciousness and performance will be especially checked. It aims to ensure that newly recruited civil servants will be people of political quality and good moral conduct. Those punished for committing crimes, expelled from the Communist Party of China and included in the country's social credit list as a credit breaker, are disqualified from taking the exam.
The examinees' political accomplishments have two aspects: One is to assess knowledge of political theories on the exam, and the other is their personal resume, Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Chinese Academy of Governance in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Allowing those who have credit or other moral problems into the team is a disservice to the people," Zhu stressed. In , China, on the way to build the world's largest e-social credit and joint punishment system, started to restrict dishonest personnel from applying for civil service positions.
Outstanding applicants will be encouraged to work in lower-level positions, especially in remote and impoverished regions. More than 2, posts at the village-level are reserved for graduates, the SACS said. About Applicants with more than two years' work experience at the lower-level will be favored. Zhu stressed that developing grassroots society is vital to a country's transition to a modern society. Therefore, the number and quality of civil servants in grassroots governments are being stressed. China had 2, county-level governments and 39, township governments as of , according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Ren said grassroots experience helps officials directly contact with the public and know their needs. He added that applicants' political accomplishments need to be cultivated and examined long-term. The exam will be held on November 24, and the results will be released in January , which will be followed by an interview and professional usability testing. The annual exam is highly competitive for applicants between the ages of 18 and More than 1.
Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U. Kallie Szczepanski Updated June 11, For more than 1, years, anyone who wanted a government job in imperial China had to pass a very difficult test first. This system ensured that the government officials who served in the imperial court were learned and intelligent men, rather than just political supporters of the current emperor, or relatives of previous officials. Meritocracy The civil service exam system in imperial China was a system of testing designed to select the most studious and learned candidates for appointment as bureaucrats in the Chinese government. This system governed who would join the bureaucracy between CE and , making it the world's longest-lasting meritocracy.
The scholar-bureaucrats mainly studied the writings of Confucius , the sixth-century BCE sage who wrote extensively on governance, and of his disciples. During the exams, each candidate had to demonstrate a thorough, word-for-word knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics of ancient China. These works included among others the Analects of Confucius; Great Learning, a Confucian text with commentary by Zeng Zi; Doctrine of the Mean , by Confucius's grandson; and Mencius, which is a collection of that sage's conversations with various kings. In theory, the imperial examination system insured that government officers would be chosen based on their merit, rather than on their family connections or wealth. A peasant's son could, if he studied hard enough, pass the exam and become an important high scholar-official.
In practice, a young man from a poor family would need a wealthy sponsor if he wanted freedom from work in the fields, as well as access to the tutors and books necessary to successfully pass the rigorous exams. However, just the possibility that a peasant boy could become a high official was very unusual in the world at that time. The Exam The examination itself lasted between 24 and 72 hours. The details varied throughout the centuries, but generally, the candidates were locked into small cells with a board for a desk and bucket for a toilet.
Within the allotted time, they had to write six or eight essays in which they explained ideas from the classics, and used those ideas to solve problems in government. Examinees brought their own food and water into the room. Many also tried to smuggle in notes, so they would be thoroughly searched before entering the cells. If a candidate died during the exam, the test officials would roll his body in a mat and throw it over the test compound wall, rather than allowing relatives to come into the examination zone to claim it. Candidates took local exams, and those who passed could sit for the regional round.
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