The questions of the Qing provincial and metropolitan civil exams were centered on the Four Books (the Analects, Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean) and Five Classics (the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals). Questions also concerned policies such as civil administration, statecrafts, and judicial views on malpractice. Responses by exam candidates were penned in the fixed format commonly known as the “eight-legged essay” (also referred to as crafted essays, contemporary crafts, contemporary style essays, and essays on the Four Books) and were required to be based on the commentaries of Song dynasty (960–1279) Confucians deemed orthodox without citing other schools of thought. Regarding writing style, essays were to be concise yet elegant, and not use ostentatious phrases, or plagiarize platitude.
The Qing system equally stressed on the civil and the military. The provincial and metropolitan exams of the military examination system were largely similar to those of their civil counterpart. Exams comprised three sections: the first two were notably held outside the examination compound, testing the candidate’s ability in mounted archery, target archery, spanning, sword wielding, and stone lifting (physical fitness). Successful candidates, however, could not merely rely on their martial prowess, as the third section likewise focused on policy. The three sections were thus used to select scholars proficient in both the civil and the martial. But after 1807, the system shifted towards requiring candidates to write on the Seven Military Classics.

Although the imperial examination system of the Qing dynasty was largely followed the Ming, the success rate of exam candidates was significantly lower. A scholar might thus spend his entire life preparing for the exams to climb the ladder of success. This portion of the exhibition illustrates the life and image of scholars under the influence of the imperial examinations from three perspectives: travel to the exam compounds, preparing for the exams, and the financial support surrounding this lifestyle.
Within the process of traveling to the provincial and metropolitan exam compounds, candidates would set out from their native places to the provincial or state capital, a road which was long, expensive, and fraught with danger and other problems. Likewise, chief examination officials were required to leave Beijing to supervise the exams, a road which was similarly challenging but provided one a chance to revel in splendid scenic sites. The travel writings of these scholars and officials can help us better understand the travel culture of the Qing.
The questions of the imperial examinations were on the Four Books and Five Classics, responses had to be written as eight-legged essays, and the regulations were rigid. Various reference books for preparing the exams were published in remarkable numbers. In addition to commentaries of the Four Books and Five Classics, abridged versions and selected essays, the latter of which would be memorized, were circulated for those wishing to obtain immediate success. These reference books and materials could serve as a lens, allowing us to take a glimpse at their lives in the midst of preparations.
Since it was not easy for many scholars to succeed in the imperial examinations and that the preparations caused a heavy financial burden on their families, many low-level scholars resorted to teaching, editing, or working as advisors to subsidize their livelihoods. Qing dynasty novels are a remarkable source from which to further apprehend this dual pressure of failing in the exams and financial hardship. But despite the bitter life of preparing for the exams, once a scholar attained the degree of juren, they became a member of the gentry class and not only were qualified to serve as a low-ranking official, but also enjoyed the right to influence local affairs, even receiving remuneration for their role as a mediator between the government and the people. The opportunity was too hard to resist. Countless clans and families thus poured resources into readying their children for the exams.

Regardless of the time period, cheating is an inevitable practice, one which is used as a shortcut for those who have previously failed successively. In the Qing dynasty, provincial examination compounds comprised “jichang” (lit. site of thorns) and “weichang” (examination quarter) where the bulk of cheating took place. The former refers to where the exems were administered, so called because the site—especially in earlier periods—was surrounded by thorns to prevent trespassing; and the latter was the place in which examination officials drafted questions, printed and graded exam papers.
Each provincial and metropolitan exam, respectively taking place on the eighth month and on the third month of the subsequent year, comprised three sections which fell on the ninth, twelfth, and fifteenth days of the month. On the day before the start of each examination, roll call and a search of each candidate as they entered the jichang was conducted to prevent various forms of cheating, such as smuggling in notes impostures, or changing cells with another candidate. Regarding the weichang, to curb the exchange of exam papers or passing on of exam questions, officials were prohibited from entering or leaving until the announcement of successful candidates—food and accommodation were provided. But despite every effort, cheating and malpractice, as seen in the Qing archives, still passed by the watchful eyes of examination officials.

After the civil and the military palace examinations, the ranks, divided into three categories, were written on the “golden placard,” which was then posted at the West and East Chang’an gates of the Forbidden City—the supreme glory on the ladder of success. Furthermore, it was stipulated in the Qing dynasty that a stele with the names of successful candidates be erected at the Imperial Academy following each palace exam to immortalize their honor. Only first-category jinshi could be directly appointed as officials, while those below still had to pass the court placement exam to be appointed as officials at various levels of government. From the mid-Qing onwards, the admission rate was falling, and for those who did pass, vacancies and promotions were few and far between. In response, the Qing court issued seasonal “collections of civil officials” that detailed the course of each official’s career. A candidate could make a name for himself through the imperial examination system, but his future remained uncertain.