Understanding of College Entrance Examination System and Imperial Examination System

Comparison between ancient imperial examination system and modern college entrance examination system

{Abstract} We should understand the reform and development of the ancient examination system in China from the viewpoint of inheritance and development, and integrate it with practice.

{Keywords:} Imperial Examination System and College Entrance Examination System

Chinese national culture has a long history and is profound. In this long history of 3,000 years, the Chinese nation has nurtured outstanding talents from generation to generation, and there have been wonderful works in the history of poetry, which have nourished the hearts of groups of Chinese children and carried the essence of past dynasties.

In this 3,000-year history, the system of selecting talents is constantly changing.

First, the establishment and development of the imperial examination system

Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, officials have been selected from the children of powerful people in various places. Children of powerful people, regardless of merits and demerits, can be officials. Many people with humble origins but real talent and learning cannot hold senior positions in the central and local governments. In order to change this kind of malpractice, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty began to select talents by subject examination.

In 58 1 year, after Emperor Wendi of Sui unified China, he abolished the political system of Jiupin Zhong and returned the power of selecting officials to the central government. After Yang Di ascended the throne, the Imperial Examination Department was established in the first year of Daye (605), which declared a break with the old official selection system based on family status and the birth of a new imperial examination system represented by the Imperial Examination Department.

The Tang Dynasty inherited the Sui system and implemented the imperial examination system with Jinshi as the mainstay. It is more detailed, more perfect and gradually institutionalized in subject setting, category division, examination content and examination room rules.

The imperial examination in Song Dynasty was reformed along the system of Tang Dynasty. In order to expand the number of candidates and improve the follow-up treatment, a series of measures have been taken, such as locking up the hospital, taking the exam again, sealing it, recording its reputation and evaluating the third grade. A three-level examination system was established, including the provincial examination, general examination and palace examination, and the imperial examination system was tightened and improved, forming an unprecedented prosperity for Jinshi.

The Ming Dynasty was the heyday of the ancient imperial examination system in China. After the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty, there were fewer and fewer opportunities for Guo Jian students to become officials directly, but they could directly take the provincial examination and enter the official position through the imperial examination, thus developing the imperial examination system to its peak.

The imperial examination system developed to the Qing dynasty, and it declined day by day, with more and more disadvantages. Although the Qing rulers cheated on the imperial examination center in hell to pay, due to the defects of the imperial examination system itself, cheating became more and more serious, and the imperial examination system eventually died out.

Second, the establishment and development of the college entrance examination system

College entrance examination generally refers to the entrance examination for higher education. So far, there are three forms: college entrance examination, self-taught examination and adult college entrance examination. College entrance examination is the qualification standard for candidates to choose and enter universities, and it is one of the national examinations. The college entrance examination is arranged by the state, and the state or province specially organizes the proposition and unifies the time examination. The results of the college entrance examination directly affect the level of the university you can enter. The core premise of being admitted to a key university is excellent results in the college entrance examination. What kind of university you go to is very important, which can almost affect your life.

Before 1949, the time of the college entrance examination in China was decided by the school and was not held at the same time. Students can go to different universities to take multiple college entrance examinations according to their own strength and timetable.

1970 begins enrollment, 1976 ends, and the college entrance examination resumes after 1977. These college students are collectively called "students of workers, peasants and soldiers". 1970, less than 1% of people in China received higher education, and the number of university places was less than one thousandth of that of school-age youth in many places in China. In some places and units, the recommendation process is corrupt due to nepotism. In the1970s, 70% of the students who were recommended to go to university were children of cadres or had political background. At the same time, the undergraduate education system has been shortened from four years to two or three years. Due to the uneven level of freshmen, some professors complain that some college students are not as good as high school students. According to incomplete statistics, universities stopped enrolling students from the 1966 "Cultural Revolution". By 1977, the college entrance examination was resumed, and 940,000 students of workers, peasants and soldiers were enrolled in colleges and universities nationwide.

From 200 1, the age and marriage restrictions will be abolished in the college entrance examination, and any citizen with corresponding education level can sign up for the college entrance examination. The college entrance examination adopts a unified written test method. As of 20 1 1, according to the situation of this province, each province has drawn up a multi-minute college entrance examination plan.

Third, the advantages and disadvantages of the imperial examination system

The imperial examination system adheres to the principles of "free registration, unified examination, equal competition, merit-based admission and public posting", which breaks the hereditary relationship of blood and the monopoly of clan on politics, and is a direct and powerful reform of the official selection system in ancient China. It provided a platform of fair competition for small and medium-sized landlords and ordinary people to enter the official position through the imperial examination, which not only made a large number of outstanding talents with low status and humble origins stand out, but also expanded the foundation of feudal rule.

The imperial examination produced a large number of famous ministers, celebrities and politicians who were good at governing the country and keeping the country safe, many thinkers, writers, artists, scholars, educators and diplomats who made outstanding contributions, and also absorbed many poor people into the political power, which was conducive to expanding and consolidating the political foundation of feudal rule and changed the situation in which the nobles dominated the political affairs in the early feudal society. The majority of landlords in Buyi entered the imperial examination as officials, which injected vitality and vitality into the feudal regime; Since then, the selection of officials has an objective basis for the level of cultural knowledge, which is conducive to the formation of high-quality civil servants; The combination of reading, examination and being an official integrates power, status and knowledge, which has created the tradition of respecting teachers and attaching importance to teaching and the atmosphere of diligent study in the Chinese nation; It promoted the prosperity of literature, such as the selection of scholars by poetry and fu in the Tang Dynasty, which promoted the prosperity of Tang poetry.

The disadvantages of the imperial examination system are:

The adverse effects of the imperial examination mainly lie in the content and form of the examination. Since the Ming Dynasty, the content of imperial examinations has become rigid, requiring only candidates to create articles that conform to the form, without paying attention to the actual knowledge of candidates. In order to take the exam for science, most scholars' thoughts are gradually lost in the narrow four books and five classics and pedantic eight-part essay. ; It can be inferred that the imperial examination system not only excavated talents for the government, but also buried outstanding talents in other fields; For a century, all kinds of elites have been trapped in the examination room and wasted their time. In order to enslave the Han people, the Qing government imposed strict restrictions on the contents of the imperial examinations. The imperial examination system in Qing dynasty declined gradually, with more and more disadvantages. Although the rulers of the Qing Dynasty criticized the cheating in the imperial examination, due to the defects of the imperial examination system itself, cheating intensified and the imperial examination system eventually died out.

Even after the imperial examination was abolished, it still left many traces in China society. Today, some habits of imperial examinations can still be seen in the college entrance examination in Chinese mainland. For example, admission by province, binding the test paper head with the identity information of candidates, preventing collusion between examiners and candidates, and calling the highest score in the college entrance examination the number one scholar, etc. , are the remnants of the imperial examination.

Fourthly, the advantages and disadvantages of the college entrance examination system

1, the maximum scientific and fair selection of talents, "everyone is equal before the score", which determines the sacredness and fairness of the college entrance examination in people's minds.

2. hone the will of young people. The process of preparing for the college entrance examination has greatly honed teenagers' will and endurance, which is very helpful for their future life development.

3. Improve the level of basic education. The appearance of college entrance examination has promoted primary and secondary education, and the level of education has been continuously improved. The quality of education is constantly improving.

4. Provide conditions for rural students to change their economic situation.

5. Form a good atmosphere of advocating knowledge.

6. Promote education equity.

The main drawback of the college entrance examination is that the phenomenon of "high scores and low energy" is becoming more and more serious. Grades and diplomas are not equal to abilities. The college entrance examination pays too much attention to scores, which may lead to high scores and low energy. The competition in the talent market is nothing more than the competition of knowledge and practical ability.

Regional discrimination in college entrance examination has become the target of public criticism. Universities allocate corresponding admission places according to provinces, and usually reserve more places for local candidates, which makes the admission scores in this area drop accordingly. This phenomenon is particularly prominent in Beijing, where famous schools are concentrated. Some people criticize this as discrimination against candidates. The fierce debate on the Internet has never stopped, and students from all over the world are furious about it, but they can only accept the status quo.

Five, from the imperial examination to see the relationship between college entrance examination and school education and teaching.

There are many similarities between imperial examination and modern college entrance examination. Starting with exploring the historical development law of the relationship between imperial examination and school education and teaching, examining the relationship between modern college entrance examination and school education and teaching can provide historical reference for the current college entrance examination reform and make the college entrance examination reform beneficial to the education of middle schools and universities.

Choosing officials and employing people is a national event. In order to ensure the selection of talents, in China's long feudal society, rulers of all dynasties attached great importance to training and selecting talents to consolidate their dominant position. On the one hand, the state vigorously develops education; On the other hand, a system of selecting officials by examination has been explored and gradually established, the most important of which is the establishment and improvement of the imperial examination system. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "those who gain prosper and those who lose perish". Therefore, it is an important step to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of developing modern education.

In short, we should understand the reform and development of the ancient examination system in China from the perspective of inheritance and development.

Lessons learned:

①

Talent is the precious wealth of the country.

②

Perfecting the examination system is conducive to talent selection;

③

We should use those who have both ability and political integrity and dare to speak out;

④

Cronyism and connivance can cause serious harm.

⑤

We should establish the correct concept of respecting knowledge and talents.

Connecting with practice: The current examination reform in China embodies the function of the state in organizing and developing education. China's examination reform should always adhere to the principles that are conducive to the selection of talents in colleges and universities, the implementation of quality education in middle schools and the expansion of autonomy in running schools. This is an inevitable requirement for China to implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education. Pay attention to the contrast, there are essential differences between the ancient examination system and the present examination reform. During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, it is necessary to further deepen the reform of the cadre and personnel system, establish and improve the systems of selection, appointment, assessment, mobile allocation, incentive and supervision of all kinds of talents at all levels, and form a mechanism conducive to talents coming to the fore and giving full play to their talents. The successful experience and failure lessons of selecting and employing people in ancient China are of great significance to the socialist construction in China today.

Author brief introduction Liu, a native of Shaoyang, Hunan Province, is currently studying in the Medical College of Changsha Civil Affairs College, majoring in nursing. Gentle personality, wide hobbies, extensive communication, good language skills, love music and sports.