The Importance Of The Civil Service Examination In Imperial China

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Beginning in the Han Dynasty and continually gaining popularity until its abolishment in 1905, the Civil Service Examinations were a key aspect of Imperial China for over 2000 years. These examinations, used to find candidates that were well-learned in the Confucian classics to appoint jobs as imperial officials, had many functions outside of solely finding imperial officials; the Civil Service Examinations were not only a key role in social mobility for Imperial China, but also a way to spread Confucian ideas among those who wished to attain a position in government. These examinations had a great impact on life in Imperial China, but mainly in two ways: socially and culturally. The Civil Service Examination System had a great impact on …show more content…
This is in part due to the aforementioned emphasis on Confucian ideas displayed in the examination; as a result, the examination helped to facilitate a rapid spread of the Confucian classics to a much broader scope than before. Although a great deal of the upper class already had an idea of the Confucian classics, a great deal of the lower class had not been taught in the writings of Confucius before. With the addition of the Civil Service Exam, many more people were required to not only learn, but memorize the Confucian classics. This is evident in the story of Xu Tang from The Examination System, who was required to take the examination “more than twenty times” before eventually passing. This without a doubt raised the importance of Confucian writings and helped to spread these ideas throughout China. Another impact that the Civil Service Exam had on Imperial Chinese culture, unfortunately, was the criticism of females. Given that females were not allowed to take the Examinations, it was said that “if a girl [was born] everyone was dejected.” Families often hoped for a boy, even going through extreme rituals such as avoiding certain foods and keeping perfect posture in hopes that this would increase the chances of having a male child. For this reason, females were often on the receiving end of great disrespect, and many parents viewed them as an added expense rather than a contribution to the family due to the rules of the Civil Service Examination. This exam had a great influence on Imperial Chinese culture, whether it be due to its influence on the spread of Confucianism or the unfortunate disapproval of female

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