In ancient society, there was a stage that countless scholars flocked to - the imperial examination room. In each imperial examination, whether you can pass the top prize or be born as a jinshi is related to a person's career path. Winning the exam is regarded as the highest honor, which means that the door to entering the career will be open for you. However, does winning the top spot really mean that you have reached the pinnacle of life? There is no shortage of champions in history who eventually fell into disrepute, while scholars from civilian backgrounds later became prominent ministers. So, how big an official can the champion in the ancient examination be? How big is the gap between the champion and the ordinary jinshi? Let's delve into this long and mysterious history.
The origin and evolution of the imperial examination system
The Tang Dynasty was known as the "world of scholars", and the imperial examination system sprouted during this period. In 605 AD, Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Yang Jian founded Jinshike to select talents to enrich the imperial court. Since then, the Tang court has continued this system, and the Jinshi Branch, which is held every three years, has become the main channel for selecting officials. In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, subjects such as Ming Jing and Ming Law were gradually added, and an examination system with equal emphasis on literature and science was initially formed.
In the Song Dynasty, due to the changes of Wang Anshi and others, the imperial examination system was gradually improved, and the number of students admitted and the setting of subjects became more and more standardized. During the Song Dynasty, the chief examiner was designated as three members, who presided over the general examination, the palace examination and the re-examination. In addition, the Song Dynasty pioneered the system of "once every three years for the examination, once a year". Such a standardized and strict imperial examination system laid the backbone channel for the selection of talents in the Song Dynasty and even in later generations.
In the Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the centralization of power and abide by the etiquette system, the imperial examination became more complete and became the second only way to select scholars after the hereditary system. During the Yingzong period of the Ming Dynasty, it was specially stipulated that after the examination, the champions, Bangyan and Tanhua students must be elected to serve in the Hanlin Academy. As a result, the status of the Hanlin Academy has grown day by day, and it has become a necessary ladder to enter the official career.
In the Qing Dynasty, the number of children of the Eight Banners responding to the imperial examination increased dramatically, and the imperial court set a strict proportion of banner people. Without the practice of martial arts, the imperial examination became the second only way to select officials after the hereditary system. At the same time, in order to revitalize the military armament, the Qing court continued to expand the scale of martial arts, and the first military champion was appointed as a three-grade guard, which was much higher than the civil service, demonstrating the martial integrity.
After hundreds of years of precipitation and improvement, the imperial examination has grown from scratch, from single to diverse, and finally became the official ceremony of the central government to select talents. However, this stage that gathers talents from all over the world in the imperial court and realizes the dream of "talented and beautiful women" is also brewing a suffocating and dramatic fate......
The difference between the rank of champion and jinshi
Once Wen Zhuangyuan was admitted, he was given priority to be selected to serve in the Hanlin Academy. The Hanlin Yuan was a private institution of the emperor's personal ministers, and was in charge of confidential tasks such as writing edicts, compiling actual records, and interpreting scriptures, and his position was extremely prominent. The Ming Dynasty stipulated that Wen Zhuangyuan was awarded the Hanlin Revision from the Six Grades, and his main duty was to serve the emperor and record the life of the king. The Bangyan and Tanhua were awarded the Zhengqipin Hanlin Editing, and were in charge of the compilation of national history and general documents.
In contrast, except for a few ordinary jinshi who were elected to serve as Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy, most of them were distributed to grass-roots official positions such as county magistrates and chiefs. Even if he was later promoted to the rank of the sixth department, although his official rank was higher than that of the champion, he was running around all day long, and he rarely came to the king's side, which was very different from the honor of the champion.
The starting point of Wu Zhuangyuan is much higher than that of Wen Zhuangyuan. As soon as the martial champion of the Ming Dynasty was admitted, he was awarded the military positions of Cao Shishi from the six-rank soldier and the commander of the six-rank guard, and in the Qing Dynasty, he was awarded the rank of commander of the three-rank guard. The Wujinshi mostly started from military attachés such as Zhengbapin Wuying and Wusheng. For example, Guo Ziyi, the martial champion in the Tang Wu Zetian period, was only admitted to the nine-rank minor positions such as the chief of the left guard, and the gap with the martial champion can be seen.
Therefore, there is a huge disparity in rank between the champion of the martial arts and the martial arts. Wu Zhuangyuan was ordered to command heavy troops, and even if Wu Jinshi was brave, he could only march on foot and go into battle to risk himself. Compared with Wu Jinshi, although Wu Zhuangyuan may not have made great achievements, the passage to advancement is far smoother.
However, although the civil and military champions receive preferential treatment and have a higher starting salary, whether they can prosper in their careers really needs to be funded by luck. Especially in the period when officialdom was corrupt, there were champions who fell into the middle of the family because of their own selfishness, and even the junior title was difficult to keep, and they could never turn over; Some have been favored by the government and the opposition and have repeatedly become extremely popular ministers, and their reputation has spread far and wide. It can be seen that being a champion does not mean stepping towards the pinnacle of life, the key lies in chance and moral integrity.
The ups and downs of the sea: the fate of the champions
Although the champion means the highest honor in the field, it does not mean that their future is open. In fact, there is no shortage of champions in history who have ended up with ruined families and precarious ends.
Taking the Ming Dynasty's champion Wang Guoji as an example, he was the champion in the 42nd year of Wanli and was recorded as the Jishi of the Hanlin Academy. However, only three years later, he was demoted to Huangzhou for being involved in a "party dispute case", and his family property was heavily fined. During this period, although Wang Guoji tried every means to intercede with the powerful, he was punished more severely, and finally died with hatred. Its tragic fate is a lesson for scholars.
And another champion of the Ming Dynasty is a legend that stands out. He was the top student in high school in the thirtieth year of Wanli and was elected to serve in the Hanlin Academy. Since then, with his outstanding knowledge and ability, he has successively served as the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, and the scholar of Dongge University. Although he had a humble background, he practiced the way of self-cultivation and was respected by the people of the time. Eventually, his descendants were able to grow in Shilin and settle in Jingshi, and the royal family dominated Jinghua for hundreds of years.
Such ups and downs not only happened in Wen Zhuangyuan's body, but also in Wu Zhuangyuan. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Peiyuan, a member of the martial arts, was arrogant and arrogant, and actually instructed his henchmen to set fire to the palace, which was burned alive and burned to death, leaving a stench for 10,000 years. At the same time, Dou Taiyu, the champion of literature, although he was attacked and framed all his life, was still unswerving, and finally obtained a pardon for his forbearance and forbearance, and was posthumously honored as a famous minister in the world.
It can be seen that the moral integrity of the individual is often the key factor in determining the ultimate fate. Although he came from a humble background, if he can be diligent and studious, he can still achieve success. For example, Gu Xingfeng, the champion of literature during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, although he was born in a family of scholars in the cold family, he was finally awarded the title of Taifu because of the ups and downs of the Huan Sea, and he was rewarded richly. On the contrary, if you are extravagant and behave in a debauched manner, you will suffer irreparable losses regardless of your status. It can be seen that the fate of the champions of civil and military affairs at all levels is impermanent, and the success or failure of the future does not depend entirely on the halo, the key lies in whether you can cultivate yourself in the process of studying.
The glory and opportunity of the champion
Although winning the exam means the highest honor for a scholar, it is only the first step on the road to a career. If you want to rise all the way in the officialdom, it is not enough to rely on the aura of the champion, but also the continuous efforts of chance and individuals.
From champion to official, it often takes a tortuous process. Taking Lin Yun, the champion of literature in the Ming Dynasty, as an example, he was first elected to serve in the Hanlin Academy after he won the top prize in the 21st year of Wanli. A few years later, because of his diligence and promising, he was valued by the government and the opposition, and was exceptionally promoted by the imperial court to be the head of the Ministry of Rites of the powerful department. Just when Lin Yun was expected to continue to climb, he was unexpectedly involved in party disputes and was degraded. Fortunately, Lin Yun has been diligent and honest during the demotion of officials, and after several setbacks, he was finally allowed to regain during the Chongzhen period, and he surpassed his colleagues all the way and was promoted to a cabinet scholar. It can be seen that although the glory of the champion is beautiful, whether it can rise step by step in the end depends on personal morality and chance.
Of course, if it coincides with the Qingming Dynasty, there is no shortage of examples of champions who have gone straight to the top. For example, Wang Zuo, the champion of literature during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, was elected as the Jishi of the Hanlin Academy after he won the examination, and immediately entered the cabinet as a bachelor. Later, he successively held important positions such as the household department and the official department, and was finally praised by His Majesty the old minister for his talent and knowledge, and was promoted to the first assistant of the cabinet, with full authority to deal with national affairs, enjoying supreme prestige and power, and becoming the best among the champions.
However, even if he had heavy responsibilities during his reign, he could not ignore the importance of family success. If the champion can work tirelessly and be loyal and wise for the country and the people, future generations will also be able to glorify their ancestors and be prosperous and prosperous for generations. This is the case of Mei Wending, the famous literary champion during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, who had the ideal of serving the country and the people from the beginning when he was first elected to the Hanlin Academy. Later, he served as a bachelor in the Hanlin Academy, presided over the revision of books and taught the prince to read and write. Emperor Qianlong appreciated him very much, not only gave him high-ranking officials and titles, but also benefited his children and grandchildren, making the Mei family prominent from generation to generation.
It can be seen that whether it is from a poor family or a famous family, the champion in the examination only opens the door to officialdom, and this victory alone is far from enough, the key is whether the individual has the determination to be aggressive and enterprising, and whether he is conscientious and diligent and loyal. Only in this way can the champion truly become a model of leading the social atmosphere and reflect the glorious significance of the science field.
Judging & Summarizing
Looking at the historical evolution of the imperial examination system, it is not difficult for us to find that this ancient and profound system embodies the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, but there are also unavoidable defects and drawbacks.
First of all, the imperial examination focused on the selection of Confucian doctors, but ignored the talent needs of other aspects of society. In order to consolidate their rule, the rulers of the dynasty deliberately narrowed the scope of the imperial examination to the examination of the Baguwen. This made it impossible for the imperial examination to discover more talents with the ability to help the country, but instead bred a large number of pseudo-talents who stuck to the old rules and stopped at the jinshi. It was not until the late Qing Dynasty, with the rise of the Westernization Movement, and the establishment of the Jingshi Tongwen Museum to cultivate foreign language talents, that the scope of the imperial examination was expanded to a certain extent.
Secondly, the imperial examination cannot truly screen the essence of candidates' moral integrity and integrity. Historically, there has been no shortage of people with outstanding achievements who later became corrupt, unethical, and unethical. Even if they win the top prize, there are still people who stumble and stumble due to misfortune. The reason is that the imperial examination only focuses on the candidate's "literary and ink spirit", but it is difficult to thoroughly examine his inner character and academic accomplishment.
Thirdly, although the imperial examination has broadened the channels for the children of the poor to become officials, it has also continued the privileged position of the gate lords. The imperial court stipulated that there was an "old rule for students" to protect the children of the family, and there were strict restrictions on the household registration status of scholars, which made the imperial examination itself unfair.
Despite the shortcomings of the imperial examination system, we cannot completely deny its value. First of all, the imperial examination system is a system that focuses on fairness and justice, and everyone is equal. Although the family has privileges, as long as they pass the exam, they can enter the dragon gate in one step. In the absence of standardized tests at the time, the imperial examination was the fairest method of selection.
Secondly, the imperial examination has played a great role in promoting the inheritance and development of Chinese culture. Not only has more and more people received Confucian classical education, but Confucianism has also been disseminated and promoted. At the same time, the imperial examination required candidates to read through the Four Books and Five Classics, which put forward high requirements for the cultural accomplishment of candidates, thus giving birth to a large number of outstanding literati.
Finally, the imperial examinations played an important role in social class mobility and maintaining social stability. It gave the poor scholars the hope of rising to the rank of dignitaries, and also alleviated social contradictions and avoided social turmoil.
We face up to the pros and cons of the imperial examination system, not to judge the system in black and white, but to fully understand the value behind this special system that integrates ancient Chinese cultural aesthetics and social concepts. Rather than judging the level of the imperial examination system, it is more important to inherit and carry forward the spirit of seeking merit in the imperial examination, avoid its drawbacks, and establish a more just, fair, and scientific system for selecting talents and cultivating reserve forces.