Day-to-day governance of the Ming and Qing governments fell to the scholar-bureaucrats appointed by the emperor.  With few exceptions these officials came from the class of well-educated and highly literate men known as the scholar-gentry.  These men had earned academic degrees by passing rigorous civil service exams, and they dominate China’s political/social life.

PREPARATION:

Preparations for the exams began at an early age.  Sometimes they took place in local schools, which like the civil service exams were open only to males. Wealthy families often engaged the services of tutors, who made formal education available also to girls. By the time students were eleven or twelve years old, they had memorized several thousand characters that were necessary to deal with the Confucian curriculum, including the Analects of Confucius and other standard works.  They followed these studies with instruction in calligraphy, poetry, and essay composition. Diligent students also acquainted themselves with a large corpus of commentaries, histories, and literary works in preparing for the exams. 

TESTING:

The exams consisted of a battery of tests administered at the district, provincial and metropolitan levels.  Stiff official quotas restricted the number of successful candidates in each examination (e.g., only 300 students could pass the metropolitan exam) so students frequently took the exam several times before they earned a degree.

When taking the exam, candidates brought a water pitcher, a chamber pot, bedding, food, an inkstone, ink, and brushes.  After guards had verified their identities and searched for hidden printed material, they proceed into a honeycomb of tiny, cell-like rooms. For three days and two nights, the candidates wrote “eight-legged” essays.  If a candidate died during testing, officials wrapped the body in a straw mat and tossed it over the high walls that ringed the compound!

EMPLOYMENT

However, not all degree-earners would be guaranteed a job— the Qing government had only 20,000 jobs for 1,000,000 degree-holders.  Those who only passed the district exams usually spent their careers teaching at local schools or serving as family tutors.

CONSEQUENCES

By opening the door to honor, power, and rewards, the examination system encouraged serious pursuit of a formal education.  Since the system did not erect social barriers, it was the avenue for upward social mobility.  The system also guaranteed that Confucianism would be at the heart of Chinese education and the state.