1On September 2, 905, with the approval of Empress Dowager Cixi, the Qing Dynasty issued an imperial edict, abolishing the imperial examination system that lasted for more than 300 years. As one of the most important measures of the New Deal in the late Qing Dynasty, when this decision was made 100 years ago, there was not much difference between conservatives, quintessence and reformists, westernization, Manchu nobles and Han scholars, and it did not cause an uproar. At that time, there was no heated debate in newspapers (including Shen Bao in Shanghai Concession, News and Ta Kung Pao in Tianjin Concession). Unexpectedly, however, a hundred years after the abolition of the imperial examination system, there are quite a few people who set up an evaluation for the imperial examination system and complain about it. Some people even want to restore the imperial examination system immediately and restore titles such as champion, scholar, juror and scholar.

Indeed, the opening of the imperial examination in the Sui Dynasty was a great pioneering work, which had unquestionable positive significance not only at that time, but also for a long time. It has at least two advantages that cannot be ignored: first, it provides a relatively fair method and procedure for selecting talents; Second, it provides a way for ordinary people to flow upward. From ancient times to the present, no matter in the East or the West, exams are inevitable. The British civil service examination system, recognized and imitated all over the world, was originally inspired by China's imperial examination system. Some western scholars believe that this is a great creation of Chinese civilization.

Our present college entrance examination system and imperial examination system may be very different in content, method and result, but they both belong to a form of examination, and there are still some similarities. I'm afraid it's not accidental that the saying "the top student in the college entrance examination" has always existed. Like all examinations, the imperial examination system was not the best since its birth, but it was certainly not the worst. Just as Churchill commented on "democracy", the essence of democracy is to prevent the worst from happening. So far, human beings can't live without all kinds of exams, because we haven't found a more suitable new method. After all, everyone still belongs to relatively equal in front of the examination paper.

What is the worst? The first is to select "talents" according to bloodline, privilege and money. Before the appearance of the imperial examination system, the gentry based on kinship and nepotism once flourished, and their social status was doomed from birth. Only in the last days of the dynasty's decline can the common people, like Chen Sheng and Guangwu, question "it is better to have seeds than princes", so as to rise up and reshuffle the cards, so that the winner is the king and the loser is the kou. Besides, there are hardly any upward social channels. In such an autocratic dark night, the appearance of the imperial examination system undoubtedly provided a little faint fantasy and hope for the common people. Even if this fantasy and hope are faint, the possibility of "going to Tian Shelang and going to the imperial court at dusk" actually exists. From then on, a civilian can change his social identity through the imperial examination, realize the normal flow from the lower level to the upper level, and input the blood of civilians for the monolithic dynasty, so the dynasty gained new vitality. Although the emperor had his own motivation to carry out the imperial examination system, the criteria for selecting talents were ultimately in the hands of the emperor, but it was very arbitrary. Not only is the standard more casual, but it can also "increase the number of subjects". However, in a country that attaches great importance to consanguinity and in a cultural background that values agriculture over commerce, officials, businessmen and the people have indeed gained equal opportunities for competition and forge ahead. This is undoubtedly a great progress in ancient China.

100 years ago today, under the attack of internal troubles and foreign invasion, and under the impetus of the enlightened minister of Manchu, the Qing government finally abolished the imperial examination system that had been criticized for a long time.

Since then, the abuse of the imperial examination system has become a superstition in China in the 20th century. Whether you know the imperial examination system or not, and whether you have read the eight-part essay, scolding the imperial examination system has become a "trend of thought" in China almost throughout the 20th century.

100 years later, it seems that China has not made much progress than before because of the abolition of the imperial examination system-except learning more western technology. Finally, China's ideological circle can re-examine the influence of the imperial examination system on China-whether it is positive or negative, and finally discuss the imperial examination system calmly-which is no longer an emotional abuse, and certainly not a fanatical pursuit.