Revisiting the Civil Examinations in the Qing Dynasty: Popularization and Social Transitions

Abstract

Recent lit er a ture has pointed out the increased strat i fi ca tion and narrowing of the social lad der embed ded in the Qing-era civil exam i na tions. This essay sees a clear-cut divi sion between the diminishing oppor tu nity for high-level degrees (above juren *(sic)) and the ris ing exam fever in com pet ing for the licen ti ate degree (shengyuan tn) at the grass roots level. This study focuses on the pop u lar i za tion of civil exams in the Qing era from three per spec tives: the infla tion of the licen ti ate degree, the surg ing exam pop u la tion across soci ety, and the unin tended by-prod uct of expanded access to wide spread edu ca tion and lit er acy cul ture. Thus, this essay argues that the pop u lar i za tion of civil exams had far-reaching impacts on socio eco nomic tran si tions in Qing China. In addi tion to the "gate keeper" func tion of the civil exam i na tions for selecting offi cials, the Qing exams trig gered new occupations for licentiates and helped initiate self-employment orientations that contributed to accommodating the tremendous surplus population.