SUBTOPICS
• The Confucian Tradition Institutionalized through the Examination System
• Who Took the Civil Service Examinations?
• The Levels of the Examination System
• Social Mobility and Curricular Uniformity under the Confucian System
Although the civil service examination system as such is perhaps more aptly categorized under “government” than “religion,” it is discussed in this unit to highlight the central role that the examination system played in the dissemination of the Confucian worldview throughout traditional Chinese society.
THE CONFUCIAN TRADITION INSTITUTIONALIZED THROUGH THE EXAMINATION SYSTEM
Imperial China was famous for its civil service examination system, which had its beginnings in the Sui dynasty (581-618 CE) but was fully developed during the Qing dynasty. The system continued to play a major role, not only in education and government, but also in society itself, throughout Qing times.
The civil service examination system was squarely based upon the Confucian classics and upon recognized commentaries on those classics. The examination system was the basic support for the ongoing study of the Confucian classics during late-imperial times and could be said to have been the impetus behind the school curriculum that was followed all over China, even at the level of the village school for young boys. (In imperial times educational opportunities were far more restricted for girls and women than were for boys. Some girls did get an education, but this was a minority.)