First of all, the implementation of the imperial examination system is helpful to break the restriction of family status, so that people from poor backgrounds can enter the official career through the imperial examination, which has made important contributions to social fairness and justice. At the same time, the implementation of the imperial examination system is also conducive to the development of education, because it closely links education and learning with the election of officials, making education a purposeful, organized and systematic activity. This institutionalized educational model not only improves the educational level, but also gives more people the opportunity to receive education, thus promoting the development of education.
Secondly, the influence of imperial examination system on education is manifested in many aspects. First of all, the imperial examination system promoted the development of school education. Driven by the imperial examination system, schools at all levels have been established, and the teaching content is mainly Confucian classics. This educational model centered on Confucian classics not only cultivated a large number of talents, but also made Confucianism occupy a dominant position in ancient China society. Secondly, the imperial examination system promoted the popularization of educational content.
Driven by the imperial examination system, ordinary people also began to receive education, thus expanding the scope of the educated population. In addition, the imperial examination system also promoted the improvement of teachers' status. Because education has become a purposeful, organized and systematic activity and teachers have become one of the key factors in selecting officials, the status of teachers has also been improved.
However, the imperial examination system also has its limitations. First of all, because the content of the exam is mainly Confucian classics, some people pay too much attention to recitation and memory in the exam, while ignoring the cultivation of practical ability and innovative spirit. This limits the cultivation and development of talents to a certain extent. Secondly, the imperial examination system has the problem of cheating in exams. In order to get good grades, some people have to cheat by various means, which not only undermines the principle of fair competition, but also affects the social atmosphere.
The Historical Development of Imperial Examination System
The origin of the imperial examination system can be traced back to the imperial examination system in Han Dynasty and the nine-grade system, but these systems have many disadvantages, such as the monopoly of aristocratic families in selecting officials and the lack of promotion opportunities for poor scholars. After the Sui Dynasty unified the whole country, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty abolished the system of selecting officials in the previous dynasty and began to select officials in different disciplines, which was the embryonic form of the imperial examination system.
The Tang Dynasty is an important period for the development of the imperial examination system. The rulers of the Tang Dynasty perfected and improved the imperial examination system, making it the main way to select officials. Imperial examinations are divided into Ming Classics and Jinshi, among which Jinshi pays more attention to literary talent, while Ming Classics pays more attention to Confucian classics and current affairs. In addition, the Tang Dynasty also standardized the contents, forms and procedures of imperial examinations, making them more just and fair.
Song dynasty inherited the imperial examination system of Tang dynasty and further reformed the examination content. The imperial examination in Song Dynasty paid more attention to practicality and actual effect, and paid attention to examining candidates' understanding and solving ability of national governance and people's livelihood issues. At the same time, the Song Dynasty also made many improvements to the imperial examination system, such as increasing the number of examinations, relaxing the admission conditions, and establishing a special name system to attract more people to take the imperial examination.
The Ming Dynasty was the heyday of the imperial examination system. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty made many improvements and innovations in the imperial examination system, such as setting up eight-part essay, strictly limiting the examination content, and implementing continuous examination, so as to strengthen the standardization and rigor of the imperial examination system. In addition, the children of officials were strictly forbidden to take the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty to prevent the powerful from monopolizing the channels for selecting officials.
The Qing Dynasty carried out many reforms in the imperial examination system, such as relaxing admission conditions, increasing the number of examinations, setting up special courses, etc., to meet the needs of social development. However, with the introduction of modern western civilization and the development of modern education, the imperial examination system gradually lost its meaning of existence.