The appearance of the imperial examination system in Sui and Tang Dynasties was a great change in the personnel system in ancient China. The rise of the imperial examination system in this period laid the foundation for the prosperity of the imperial examination system in later generations. It played a positive role in promoting the progress and development of society at that time, but at the same time it also exposed some disadvantages.
Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the personnel system in ancient China generally experienced several stages, such as "seeking money from the world", "observing the people" and "being upright with nine products". These systems are the inevitable products under the social conditions at that time, which have positive effects and serious disadvantages. In these systems, the germination of the imperial examination system has gradually sprouted.
According to legend, during the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, it was more credible that the Western Zhou Dynasty implemented the system of "clearing the stone and clearing the ten treasures". The so-called Shi Qing Shi Lu means that the supreme ruler enfeoffed his relatives according to the distance of blood relationship; The power of the central and local governments at all levels is in the hands of nobles of all sizes, handed down from generation to generation, and cannot be appointed or removed at will. This system was integrated with the patriarchal clan system and enfeoffment system at that time. Its main feature is that the eldest son inherits the throne, the other sons are enfeoffed, and so on, forming a pyramid-like power structure system. It should be affirmed that the emergence of this hereditary system is one of the important signs and reasons for the emergence of the country, the transition from barbarism to civilization and the inevitable product of the evolution from primitive public ownership to private ownership. However, after promoting the progress of social civilization, it has increasingly exposed its inherent disadvantages and become an obstacle to the progress of social civilization.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, monks settled down, the royal family declined, vassal states attacked each other, and the competition for talents was fierce. Of course, it is very important to select and use useful talents. Some vassal States always provide some talented people for use, called "nurturing scholars", such as Meng Changjun of Qi, Ping Yuanjun of Zhao, Chun Shen Jun of Chu and Xinlingjun of Wei, each with hundreds of people for use; Some vassal States pay attention to selecting officials from those who have meritorious military service, which is called "military service". For example, at that time, Qin paid attention to employing people according to the size of the military service system, and its military strength was therefore very strong, eventually conquering the other six countries; Some monarchs appoint talents from other countries to hold important positions in their own countries, which is called "Keqing". Shang Yang was an official from defending the country to the State of Qin, and Su Qin and Zhang Yi, who were famous for a while, were honored in several countries. During this period, there were other ways to select and appoint talents, showing the situation of "eight immortals crossing the sea and showing their abilities". This shows that the official system based on blood ties can no longer continue.
By the Han dynasty, the system of recording was gradually formed. The so-called inspection means that local officials, such as prefectures and counties, conduct inspections in their own jurisdictions, find talents needed by the ruling class, recommend them to the central authorities in the name of "filial piety", "wizards" and "talents", and appoint them to corresponding official positions after certain assessment; The so-called expropriation means that the emperor or the local governor directly recruits. Shi Qing Shi Lu is a great progress in testing and conquering the old system. However, this system has the characteristics of no distinction between promoting officials, choosing exams, choosing teachers and choosing officials without full-time work, which leaves many gaps for officials at all levels to practice favoritism and malpractice in their investigation and exploration, so at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there appeared the phenomenon of "promoting scholars, not knowing books; Cha Xiaolian, father separated; The cold is white and turbid, and the high soldier is as timid as a chicken "(that is, people who recommend scholars cannot study; People who are recommended as filial piety cannot live with their fathers; People who are recommended as virtuous and innocent are actually very confused; The man recommended as a general is as timid as a mouse.
During the Cao Wei period, Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei Wen, adopted the suggestion of Chen Qun, a senior official of the Ministry, and implemented the personnel system of "Nine Grades Being Right". This system originated in Cao Wei, matured in Jin Dynasty and declined in Southern and Northern Dynasties. Its basic content is that there are big Chiang Kai-shek in each state and small Chiang Kai-shek in each county, and all the big and small Chiang Kai-shek are appointed by the central government as local "wise and knowledgeable" officials. Large and small Zhongzheng divides the people under its jurisdiction into nine grades, or "nine grades" (that is, up, up, down, up, middle, down, up and down), and the central government awards official positions according to the grades assessed by Zhongzheng. This system has, to some extent, changed the situation that celebrities in prefectures and counties manipulated public opinion and recommended expropriation everywhere since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and can select some more talented people to enrich the bureaucracy. However, with the development of aristocratic families, officials of all sizes are dominated by aristocratic families, which leads to the long-standing disadvantage of "no poverty in the upper class and no powerful family in the lower class", which makes the gifted scholars lament that "the noble family is high and handsome at present". "Nine-level clock politics" has become a tool to consolidate the power of the gate valve.
These talent selection systems are of course different from the later imperial examination system. However, during the implementation of the above-mentioned personnel system, even in these systems themselves, there were more or less embryos of the later imperial examination system. According to legend, while the Zhou Dynasty implemented the system of "learning from hometown", the previous generation still retained the method of "taking hometown". For example, according to the ancient book "Zhou Li", township doctors hold a "grand contest" every three years to examine the villagers' "morality and morality" and select talented people to contribute to Zhou Wang. Some people say that this is the embryonic form of "virtuous and Fang Zhengzhi scholar" in the imperial examination. The names of descendants such as Jinshi and Gong Shi also appeared in the literature of this period. There are many subjects in the Han Dynasty, such as "Ming Jing", "Familiarity", "Scholar", "Filial Piety" and "Virtue and Founder", which are the same as those in the later imperial examinations. There is also the so-called "specialist", which is equivalent to the "system" in the imperial examination later; For those who recommend to the imperial court, they also have to pass certain examinations or assessments, but they are not as strict as those in the imperial examinations of later generations.
When the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty were established, the "Nine-grade Zheng Zhi System" was used for a period of time. When the conditions are met, the imperial examination system comes into being. Generally speaking, Sui is the initial stage; Early Tang Dynasty is the recovery stage; The development stage is from Wuzhou to Kaiyuan Tianbao. After the "An Shi Rebellion", there was a period of repetition. In the late Tang Dynasty after Xian Zong, the imperial examination system was basically established.
At the beginning of Sui Dynasty and the beginning of Tang Dynasty, because the society was not completely stable, it was difficult to return the accumulated disadvantages, and all of them had implemented the "Nine-grade Zheng Zhi System" of the previous generation to solve the urgent needs. Shortly after Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty ascended the throne, the system of "Nine Grades Being Right" was implemented. Because Emperor Wendi's father was called Yang Zhong, in order to avoid taboo, he changed "Zhongzheng" to "state capital". However, due to the decline of aristocratic families and the rise of humble families, this practice met with great opposition and resistance, and two officials who insisted on the old employment standards lost their jobs. The situation in the early Tang Dynasty was similar to that in the early Sui Dynasty. When the dynasty was founded, there was a shortage of talents. In order to win over the powerful forces from all over the country, the "nine-product system" was once restored, but it was only a stopgap measure and was soon abolished.
In order to adapt to the development of feudal economy, strengthen centralization and expand the class foundation of political power, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty finally replaced the system of "Nine Kinds of Righteousness" since Wei and Jin Dynasties by taking foreigners during his reign. According to historical records, in the first month of the third year of Emperor Wendi's reign (583), he wrote a letter to "Virtue". In July of the 18th year of Kai (598), more than five imperial officials were appointed, namely, the General Staff and the Secretariat, and two imperial examination officials, namely, "being honest and prudent" and "being fair and impartial". In April, the third year of the Great Cause (607), Emperor Yang Di issued an imperial edict, which stated that all officials with professional responsibilities could be "filial, knowledgeable, upright, honest, upright, persistent in amending the Constitution, sensitive in learning, and literary. Great cause of five years (609) in the first month, and ordered the counties to take four subjects examiners, that is, those who should be proficient in their studies, can be outstanding, should be brave and strong, Ying Qin in public service, should be upright and upright. Although these are temporary recruitment methods and have not yet formed a system, the characteristics of recruiting people by subjects in the imperial examination system have taken shape. During the great cause years, Yang Di also set up two subjects, Mingjing and Jinshi, to select Jinshi by "trial strategy", which marked the birth of the imperial examination system.
The imperial examination system, which began in the Sui Dynasty, was finally established in the Tang Dynasty after several stages of development.
The first stage is the period of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, which is the recovery stage. In the 4th year of Tang Gaozu Wude (62 1), on April 1st, imperial edict was issued, requiring all states' bachelors, as well as the original Ming Classics, Scholars, Scholars, and Scholars, if they really have the way of governing the country and are praised by the village, they should entrust the county and county to take an examination, and each state should conduct another examination to select those who are qualified, and send them to Beijing every October. This is the earliest imperial examination system that the Tang Dynasty restored to the Sui Dynasty. In March of the following year (622), he was appointed as a state manager and a secretariat juren, and was hired by the court. After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he knew that "the root of security lies in getting people", so he attached great importance to the selection and use of talents. While adopting various methods to extensively select talents, the imperial examination is particularly important. According to historical records, once Emperor Taizong went to the back door of the temple and saw the candidates for the new exam lined up one by one, and walked out in a good manner, overjoyed, and could not help but say, "Heroes from all over the world have entered me!" It means that all the outstanding talents in the world have fallen into my trap. However, the imperial examination in this period was only one of several ways for scholar-officials to obtain official qualifications. According to statistics, during the Zhenguan period, only 9 scholars were admitted every year on average, and there were more scholars in the Ming Dynasty, about 30 or 40. It can be seen that the imperial examination system in this period was still in the recovery stage and did not occupy a dominant position.
The second stage, from Gaozong and Wu Zhouyou to Xuanzong Kaiyuan and Tianbao, is the development stage of the imperial examination system. After decades of development in the early Tang Dynasty, the feudal economy began to prosper, and more and more landlords and scholars, large and small, demanded to enter the official career. In this case, the number of candidates in the imperial examination has increased significantly compared with the past. For example, after General Tang Gaozong (668-683), an average of 24 candidates were admitted every year, an increase of 70% compared with the early days of Emperor Gaozong. After Wu Zetian came to power, in order to gather people's hearts and consolidate her dominant position, she also attached great importance to the selection of officials in the imperial examination, especially to the "making officials" outside the conventional selection of officials. For example, during the 15 years from four years of hanging arch to two years of Dazu (688-702), there is a 1 1 year system; In the first year (690), he personally invited a tribute in the Los Angeles Temple, which set a precedent for the court examination in later generations. In the second year of Chang 'an (702), martial arts was established, and military commanders were selected through special examinations. All these make the imperial examination system perfect and develop, and the position of imperial examination in selecting officials is further improved. According to statistics, the proportion of senior officials from imperial examinations, especially prime ministers, rose from 3.4% in the period of Emperor Taizong to 25% in the period of Emperor Gaozong, and rose to 50% in the period of Wuzhou. Generally speaking, the proportion of the landlord's family background has also greatly increased. For example, during the reign of Wu Zetian, among the 20 prime ministers who were born in the Ming Dynasty and were scholars, there were 14 descendants of ordinary landlords and middle and lower officials. In the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods of Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty (7 13-755), the scale of selecting officials in imperial examinations was further expanded. It is said that thousands of people paid tribute every year at that time. Since the reign of Shenlong and Kaiyuan, it was stipulated that poetry and fu should be the content of scholars in the examination, the atmosphere of selecting scholars with poetry and fu has flourished. Small and medium-sized landlords and lower-class scholars entered official positions through imperial examinations, especially more and more people gained prominent positions through Jinshi.
The third stage of mantis catching cicadas is from "An Shi Rebellion" to the end of Tang Dynasty. Although there were some repetitions during this period, the imperial examination system was finally established. Before the "An Shi Rebellion", Yuwen Rong, a big clan in Guanzhong, and Cui, a big surname in Qinghe, joined hands to crowd out Zhang Jiuling, who was born in poverty, which opened the prelude to the factional struggle in the imperial court. After the "An Shi Rebellion", the struggle between those who were born in imperial examinations and those who were not born in imperial examinations became more intense. For example, during the Daizong and Dezong periods, when Li Jian, the royal family of Longxi, was in power, he refused to hire Yuan Zai, whose family was poor. When Yuan Zai was the prime minister, he used Yang Yan and long sticks, who were born in Jinshi. Li Jue and Ada came to power and killed Yuan Zai; Yang Yan, as the prime minister, killed Ada: john young's surname was Qilu as the prime minister, and he also killed Yang Yan. In the factional disputes, the separatist forces in the buffer regions were too powerful and the eunuchs were too authoritarian to observe the political situation in Japan. During this period, there was another "Niu Li Party Struggle". Li Deyu, the leader of the Li Party, who was not a scholar, advocated the reuse of aristocratic men and tried his best to crowd out the candidates. When he was in power, although the imperial examination was not completely abolished, many ceremonies such as "gathering", "visiting" and "Qujiang inscription" were cancelled. However, after all, the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty was in the early stage of development and had strong vitality. Therefore, although it was opposed by the bureaucratic group from Menyin, it eventually developed into the dominant way of selecting official talents in the Tang Dynasty. According to statistics, after the reign of Emperor Xianzong, people from Jinshi always occupied an absolute dominant share in the prime ministers, as follows: Emperor Xianzong accounted for 58.6%, Mu Zongchao for 57. 1%, Jing Zongchao for 85.7%, Wen Zongchao for 75%, Wu Zongchao for 80%, Xuan Zongchao for 87% and Yi Zongchao for 865438.
The imperial examination system in Sui and Tang Dynasties was constantly improved and standardized in the contents of examination subjects, candidates, examination methods, examination means and post-examination treatment, which laid the foundation for the prosperity of the imperial examination system in later generations.
The basic contents of the imperial examination system in Sui and Tang Dynasties changed from time to time. Generally speaking, its outline can be seen from the following aspects.
There are three main subjects and contents of imperial examinations in this period: regular selection, compulsory exercise and military exercise.
Regular selection, also known as regular division and regular promotion, is carried out according to regulations every year. Frequently selected specific subjects are increased or decreased at any time, totaling at least dozens, of which six are more common. 1 scholar. This was originally a tea bureau subject in Han dynasty, and it became the highest subject from Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to Sui Dynasty, and so was the early Tang Dynasty. There are five main examination strategies for scholars' subjects. After the early Tang dynasty, it was abandoned several times, and the general trend was that its status was declining. 2 Ming Jing. This theme was also found in the tea bureau of Han dynasty, and was also called Ming Jing in the Southern Dynasty. As a subject in the imperial examination, it began in Sui Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the Ming Classics were divided into nine classics, five classics, four classics, three classics, two classics, pedant once, three rites, three biographies, historical materials and many other specific subjects. Mainly take Confucian classics as the examination content. The Ming Classics in the early Tang Dynasty was just an attempt at strategy, and later the contents and methods were constantly changing. Due to the literature-advocating atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty, the discipline of Ming Jing was not taken seriously. 3 Jinshi. Founded in the Sui Dynasty, it developed and improved in the Tang Dynasty. The contents and methods of the exam have changed from time to time, probably just trying at first; The exam is over, the composition exam, the composition exam, the composition exam. ***3 games; If you take CET-4, try writing first, then discuss again, try strategies and try classics. Those who pass the first composition can try again two, three or four times. During the years of Shenlong and Kaiyuan, poetry and fu were designated as compulsory items. Jinshi was originally divided into two families, A and B. After Wude, there was only B. In the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty, at first, most people took the Ming Classics and Jinshi, and later, Jinshi was the most important. At that time, the admission rate of Ming Classics was 10% ~ 20%, while that of Jinshi was only 1% ~ 2%. Therefore, people say, "at the age of 30, you will be a scholar at the age of 50" (even if you pass the Ming Sutra at the age of 30, you will be old at the age of 50. 4 Ming method. This name was included in the tea bureau of the Han Dynasty. Many changes have taken place around the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Laws and regulations 10, policies 10. All those who pass are Grade A, those who pass more than 8 points are Grade B, and those who fail below 7 points. Five books. Also known as Calligraphy, Xue Ming, Zi Ming, etc. , belongs to the primary school and literature department. Take the oral exam first, and then take Shuowen and Zilin after passing the exam. 6 calculation. Also known as arithmetic, clear arithmetic, etc. , a mathematics subject, mainly tests the contents of ancient mathematics works such as Nine Chapters, Island, Sun Tzu, Cao Wu, Zhang Qiujian, Xiahou Yang, Zhou Zhuan, Five Classics, Suspension from School and Ji Gu.
System is also called system division, special division and special division. Probably originated from the imperial examination system in Han Dynasty. There are many subjects, and the date and items of the exam are also decided by the emperor temporarily, and ordinary people and officials can participate. According to textual research, there were dozens of families in the Tang Dynasty, which can be divided into 9 categories. (1) literary parts of speech. There are roughly 15 subjects, such as "Ci Lu Wen Ke" and "Ci Biao Wen Yuan Ke". ⑦ Military and martial arts. Generally, there are 8 subjects, such as "general strategist" and "army foot security division". (3) official management. There are roughly 13 such as "Yuemuke" and "Gonghuangke". 4 Long-term talents. There are roughly eight families, such as "peerless family" and "extraction family". ⑤ unfamiliar. There are roughly 10 families, such as "long talents and wide range" and "high talents and low subjects". 6 Confucianism. There are roughly 10 subjects, such as "the subject of Confucianism" and "the subject of literary differences". ⑦ virtuous and honest. There are roughly eight families, such as "straight Qiu Shuang branch" and "Ningbangke branch, regardless of martyrdom". 8 Metaphysics. There are generally two subjects, namely "Dong Xiao" and "Children's purpose is to study subtle subjects". Pet-name ruby Ji Fang class. Generally speaking, there are three subjects: Bo Yan Imperial Capital, Six Rhythms, Five Tones, and people who are eloquent, skillful, generous and boring. Although there are all subjects, it seems that most of the contents of the exam are: generally speaking, current affairs policy should be tested, and Xuanzong will take poetry and fu in the future. After taking this system or other subjects, you can take this system again. However, in the Tang Dynasty, people thought that taking a major was not the right way to be an official, and people who took a major were often discriminated against.
Wu Ju was established by Wu Zetian in the second year of Chang 'an (702), but it stopped after only a period of implementation. Martial arts exams include long stack, horse shooting, step shooting, flat shooting, barrel shooting, carbine, take-off, weight bearing, figure and so on. Guo Ziyi, a famous soldier in the Tang Dynasty, was born in Wuju.
Candidates come from different sources and objects, or focus on different subjects. There are two sources of candidates for regular courses: one is students; The second is rural tribute. In the Tang Dynasty, there were schools in the central and local governments. In the central government, there were imperial academy, Hong Wen Pavilion and Chongwen Pavilion, and in the local governments, there were schools in prefectures and counties. These schools have a certain number of places for students. There are also clear regulations on the age of admission and the number of years of study for students. Every winter, imperial academy, Hong Wen Pavilion, Chongwen Pavilion and state and county schools send students who pass the exam to Shangshu Province to take the exam. These candidates are called "students". Those who are not studying at school but are successful in their studies may apply to prefectures and counties, that is, apply in writing. After passing the exam, the prefectures and counties will send them to Shangshu Province to take the exam. These candidates are called "rural tribute" because they pay tribute to goods with prefectures and counties. Candidates in the manufacturing department can be people who have obtained the first official position, people who have taken formal courses or ordinary people. Martial arts candidates, such as Ming Jing and Xiang Gong Jinshi, are all selected and sent by the states. However, in the Tang Dynasty, it was stipulated that anyone who broke the law, the son of industry and commerce, and small officials in counties and counties were not allowed to take the imperial examination.
There are five main examination methods: oral examination, sticking classics, expressing ideas, asking questions and poetry. I'm not sure about the content of the oral exam. The other four methods are roughly as follows: ① Sticking the scriptures. All subjects, such as Mingjing, Jinshi, Faming, Calligraphy and Arithmetic, must be posted. The so-called pasting is to cover up the contents of the classics, revealing only one line, and pasting three words in the middle with paper for candidates to read or write the pasted words. Similar to the "fill in the blanks" of later generations. 2 ink meaning. Ink meaning is also called seeking righteousness. It's a question and answer about the scriptures. At first, it was an oral test. Later, because it was inconvenient to check afterwards, it was changed to a written test, so it was called Mo Yi. 3 policy issues. This is a difficult test method. Its style comes from the virtuous countermeasures of Han dynasty, which is equivalent to the question and answer questions in modern exams. Most of the questions asked are related to the general plan of governing the country and current affairs, and candidates answer according to the meaning of the questions. ④ Poetry and Fu. In the early Tang Dynasty, imperial examinations focused on policy issues. In the second year of Yonglong (68 1), due to the suggestion of Foreign Minister Liu, Jinshi added two essays, the so-called essays, that is, admonition, inscription, argument and speech, which made Jinshi develop towards heavy rhetoric. During the years of Shenlong and Kaiyuan, Jinshi officially began to try poetry and fu; During the Tianbao period, the imperial examination also tried poetry and fu, and the selection of scholars by poetry and fu became a written law.
The examination procedure is becoming more and more strict. Officials in charge of scientific research have higher specifications. The general examination was originally presided over by Yuan Wailang of the official department. In the 24th year of Kaiyuan (736), after the dispute between examinees and examiners, it was considered that Yuan Wailang had a low grade (from the sixth grade) and could not preside over the national examination. It was presided over by the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites (below level 4), and later "rewarded" by officials at or above level 4 in various departments. The imperial examination was presided over by the emperor himself. The martial arts examination is in the charge of the Ministry of War. Provincial examinations are generally held in Chang 'an. Generally speaking, all places go out of Beijing in autumn, and the provincial examination is held in the following spring when the flowers bloom yellow, so there is a proverb that "the flowers bloom yellow and the children are busy". On the day of the exam, candidates must bring their own water, charcoal, wax torches, tableware and so on. , such as small officials roll call, in turn into the examination room. The field is strengthened by soldiers who search clothes to prevent counterfeiting. Exams are generally not labeled (Wu Zetian used to be labeled). Time is limited to one day. In the evening, if the paper has not been handed in, it is limited to 3 candles. Therefore, people have the saying that "three candles are exhausted, and the heart of a child is burned." What is admitted is called "Ji". Those who lag behind can go to imperial academy to study and prepare to try again. At that time, people attached great importance to Jinshi, so Jinshi examination gradually became synonymous with imperial examinations. In the history of the Tang Dynasty, there were as many as 2,000 people who took the Jinshi examination each time, and as few as 1000 people. However, there are only thirty or forty people at most, and only a few people at least. At that time, all candidates were used to wearing white linen robes, so people called the Jinshi in the exam "white clothes" and "first-class white shirts", and called Deng Ke "boarding the Dragon Gate". However, after passing the regular examination, the incumbent will not be awarded immediately, and the official department will have to pass the examination. This kind of examination is called "provincial examination" or "brown examination" (meaning to take off the brown clothes of civilians and prepare to put on the purple clothes of officials), and the official position can only be awarded after passing the examination. The scholar's first name is "No.1 scholar" or "Tangtou", the new bachelor is called "the same year", the examiner is called "the chair" and "the teacher", and the admitted candidate is his "student".
After entering Jinshi, I had a series of favorable experiences. First of all, good news from home. At that time, the main secretary wrote his name with yellow flowers, which were placed below and held by people in return. At that time, it was called "piece-by-piece sticker", and later it was called "golden flower sticker". It was sent back by Jinshi with books attached at home, and relatives in the countryside celebrated each other with vocal music, which is called "Happy Letter". Followed by Qujiang banquet tour. After thanking the master and honoring the master and apprentice, the Jinshi went to Jiyuan and started various banquets. In the same year, they held a banquet in Qujiang, which was called "Qujiang Conference" in history. Sometimes the emperor also kissed Ziyun Tower and hung curtains to watch, and the official family took the opportunity to choose a good husband. New Jinshi can also travel around Chang 'an Gardens and hold banquets everywhere, which is called "Apricot Blossom Banquet". During the banquet, there are famous dishes such as main banquet, main wine, main music, flower exploration and main tea. People who become "flower detectives" must pick famous flowers in the garden before others, or they will be punished. This is the origin of the third question "Exploring Flowers" in the Palace Examination. Once again, Jionji wrote an inscription, that is, a banquet for new scholars was held in Jionji Pagoda (now Big Wild Goose Pagoda), and the inscription was impromptu placed on the pagoda, which was called "inscription mat" or "inscription meeting". There is "the happiness of Pingkang" again. At that time, Pingkangli was the location of brothels. After raising children to high school, they stayed here for prostitutes to play. It's inconvenient to be an official. Seize the opportunity and have fun. The most important thing is to change one's appearance after death, that is, one's family and relatives will come to pay homage to one's ancestors and change their homes immediately after graduation. You can also enter the "well-dressed household" (one of the categories of Tang hukou) and enjoy various benefits such as tax exemption.
The rising imperial examination system played a positive role in strengthening centralized feudal rule, promoting social progress, improving the quality of officials and promoting the prosperity of cultural undertakings in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. At the same time, due to the imperfection of the system, there have also been abuses such as abuse of power for personal gain, factional struggle and exaggeration of formalism, which have caused adverse effects on future generations.
The imperial examination system in Sui and Tang Dynasties was still in the rising stage. The positive effect of its implementation on the society at that time should be said to be the main one.
First of all, it is conducive to further strengthening centralized feudal rule. The imperial examination system appeared as the opposite of the nine-product system. It reflects the rise of the cold door forces since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and embodies the requirements of the landlords in cloth clothes to participate in politics. Its implementation opened up a new way for civilian landlords and even ordinary intellectuals to be officials, thus expanding the class foundation of feudal rule. The imperial examination system centralized the power of selecting talents in the hands of the central government, making a large number of outstanding talents available to the government and no longer becoming vassals of wealthy nobles and other separatist forces, which was conducive to strengthening centralized rule. In addition, the imperial examination takes Confucian classics as the main content and has a set of strict procedures. After the exam, you can enjoy various preferential treatments, attract a large number of intellectuals to the track in line with the ruling class ideology, form an invisible ideological orientation and ideological imprisonment, thus reducing the possible resistance potential. Because of this, Emperor Taizong saw the new Jinshi coming out of the terminal door and said happily, "All heroes in the world have fallen into my trap!" " "
Secondly, it is conducive to social innovation and progress at that time. At that time, most of the people who served in the imperial examination were politically open-minded, clear-headed, unconventional, and dared to break the rules, which was more or less closely related to the lower classes. Therefore, once they entered the DPRK as officials, especially after entering the highest decision-making circle, most of them advocated reforming North Korean politics and dared to plead for the people. For example, after Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiaxian, Zhang Shuo, Du Si 'an, Han Xiu and Zhang Jiuling, who were born in the imperial examination, were taken as the subjects in order to reform abuses and achieve domestic peace. These people face up to the reality, speak out, strengthen the body and eliminate evil spirits, and correct the current situation, which has made great contributions to the formation of a prosperous new century. The "Yongzhen Innovation" that took place in, as well as the core figures of Wang and Wanglai Group, such as Liu Yuxi, Liu Zongyuan, Wei Zhiyi and Cheng Yi, were all born in the imperial examination. After Tang Xianzong acceded to the throne, he was determined to abolish the vassal region, and Wu and Pei, the effective prime ministers who implemented the policy of reducing vassal, were all born in imperial examinations. Pei Du, in particular, was stabbed to death in Wu, and he himself was seriously injured. He put his life and death at risk, his ambition remained unchanged, and finally he won a total victory.
Third, it also plays a positive role in improving administrative efficiency and the overall quality of the official team. Because most people who entered the imperial examination have expertise, are willing to work hard and are self-motivated, they have added new vitality and brought new work efficiency after entering the state organs. For example, Di Renjie was born in the Ming Dynasty, and he was appointed as Cheng Dali during the reign of Wu Zetian. 17000 criminals were arrested in a year, and none of them were wronged. Ada, who was born in a boy's family, was appointed as the ambassador for spending money, casting money, salt and iron, and was later appointed as the transshipment ambassador and the ambassador for Changping. During his tenure, he monopolized salt and improved grain transportation, and made contributions to the finance and economy of the late Tang Dynasty, even those who opposed him had to admit it. At the same time, the imperial examination system pays attention to knowledge, and the people who enter the imperial examination have higher cultural quality. After they enter the officialdom, they drive and induce the cultural awareness of those who enter the officialdom through other channels, thus improving the cultural quality of the official team. In addition, when the imperial examination enters the official career, it must pass the four subjects of the official department: body, language, literature and judgment. Those who pass the examination should put morality first. If two or more people have the same virtue, then the person with the highest talent is the first; Those who wait, take merit first. In this way, we will pay attention to the external image, internal moral character, talent and political achievements of the whole official team, so as to improve the overall quality and image of the official team.
Finally, in the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty, especially the poems and Fu, which were highly valued by scholars, candidates spent considerable time and energy on poems and Fu, and a group of poets appeared, which pushed the prosperity and development of Tang poetry to a peak that later generations could not reach, adding a wonderful flower to the ancient culture of China.
At the same time, we should also see that there were some drawbacks in the imperial examination in this period, which also had a negative impact on later generations.
Because the relevant system in the imperial examination is not perfect, there are various disadvantages in the process of the imperial examination. This happened in several main links of the imperial examination. For example, in the process of derivation and rural tribute, because the relevant regulations are not clear enough or have not been implemented, there has been a phenomenon that powerful people manipulate the election, so that some truly talented people have been rejected from the beginning. For another example, before the exam, it is actually to let the candidates create a reputation for themselves. Some candidates send their own articles, poems, etc. Give rites (called "public papers") and dignitaries (called "papers") to pave the way for future senior high school entrance examinations. Of course, some people are really talented and worried about being treated unfairly. For another example, there are some corrupt behaviors in scientific research, such as "replacing guns" (asking people to take exams) and "bringing reference books" (hiding them into the venue), which makes the original fair competition venue less fair. Finally, at the time of admission, there is also "asking for help", that is, through various relationships, requesting admission to the main subject. At that time, Han Yu had turned to many people for help. Because of this unhealthy trend, in the second year of Daiwa (828), the top five candidates, including the fifth candidate Du Mu, were decided in advance through seeking help, recommendation or other relationships. Because powerful people controlled these key links, the proportion of ministers and ministers' children in the total enrollment increased rapidly after the end of Yuan Dynasty. Later, the Jinshi branch, which used to select talents from the natives of all classes of the landlord class, almost became a tool for ministers or ministers to inherit high positions.
After the imperial examination, the relationship between examiners and examiners was "subject", "teacher" and "disciple". Students admitted in the same year are also called "classmates". Students who go through the back door worship their hosts and travel together in the same year, which is easy to form an abnormal relationship. So after being an examiner once or twice at that time, some people regarded their "proteges" and people as "fertile fields and beautiful jade" that could support themselves. This reflects that the imperial examination lurks the problem of factional strife among bureaucrats. At that time, Li Deyu argued that the agenda of Qujiang Conference after the scientific examination was not completely biased towards those who were born in the scientific examination, but it did have a good intention to prevent collusion between officials and businessmen, which was not conducive to the Qingming official management. This point, in the imperial examination system of later generations, developed more seriously, which made a good way to consolidate monarchy go to its opposite.
Finally, because the imperial examination attaches importance to articles, forms and procedures, it is easy for candidates to attach importance to articles and neglect the world, and attach importance to emptiness and neglect practicality, thus forming a flashy formalism style and atmosphere in officialdom and even society.