The imperial examination system is a significant feature of the history of Chinese civilization, which lasted for more than 1,300 years from the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui (587), when he ordered all provinces to send three people to take the xiucai (lit. “cultivated talent”) examination, to the jiachen year during the early reign of the Guangxu Emperor (1904–1905) of the Qing dynasty. During this period, the vast majority of civil officials were produced by this institution, and by traversing through its door, the more general scholar was able to enter the world of scholar-officials. Stated bluntly, the imperial examinations determined the fate of a scholar’s life. When considering traditional Chinese society from a social class perspective, the exam system can thus be viewed as a verifiable standard, one which clearly demarcates the aspiring graduate’s status within the system and dividing society into distinct spheres.

Among the historical systems for the cultivation and selection of civil officials in China, the imperial examinations were relatively fair, and well-known officials and literati from the Sui (581–617) and Tang (618–907) dynasties onwards were more often than not byproducts of the exam system. Graduates who later became officials often participated in imperial political affairs, and once retiring to their hometowns, would naturally become local leaders and be frequently honored as“worthy persons.” Even scholars and officials in Taiwan climbed to the loftiest heights of the system. As a stable pillar, this model anchored Chinese society for over a thousand years. From the Republican era (1911–1949) onwards, although the imperial examinations disappeared as an institution under the establishment of a new nation and education system, its profound influence can still be felt within central government agencies (e.g., the Examination Yuan), processes designed to produce civil servants (e.g., the pukao examinations for government service and the gaokao higher exams), and the functions of universities and other research institutions.

Being the jiachen year, 2024 is an opportunity for us to revisit cultural relics of the imperial examination system, enabling us to further understand and experience the cultural connotations linked to the exams within traditional Chinese society and to reflect on the impact of the system on the state, society, and even the individual.