The 14^thInternational Symposium on Imperial Examination System and Study of Imperial Examination was held in Nanjing from 20^th, December, 2016 to 21^st, December, 2016, endorsed by Association for Yan Huang Culture of China – Committee for Imperial Examination Culture and Xiamen University Examination Research Center, organized by Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum. More than 110 imperial examination researchers coming from the USA, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China got together to discuss extensively and deeply on the questions of Imperial Examination System and Study of Imperial Examination. The participants include Professor LIU Haifeng the Dean of Institute of Education, Xiamen University, Professor ZHANG Yaqun, Professor ZHENG Ruoling, Associate Professor CHEN Xingde from Institute of Education, Xiamen University, Professor QIAN Jianzhuang from College of Humanities, Xiamen University, as well as PHD students LIU Liang, CAI Zhengdao, XU Lu.  

In the morning of 20^th, all the participants visited Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum, which would be opened soon. As the largest imperial examination museum in China, the museum was set up in the examination hall of Ming dynasty – Ming Yuan Building. Following the trip, it was the opening ceremony of the museum, hosted by HE Suyu, the Member of the Standing Committee under Qinghuai District Committee and the Chief of the Municipal Department of Publicity. Speeches was given by HU Wan the Deputy Mayor of Nanjing City, LIN Tao the Chief Executive of Qinhuai District, Professor LI Shiyu from Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chairman of Association for Yan Huang Culture of China – Committee for Imperial Examination Culture, Professor LIU Haifeng the Dean of Institute of Education, Xiamen University, Director of Xiamen University Examination Research Center, the Chairman of Association for Yan Huang Culture of China – Committee for Imperial Examination Culture, YANG Xuewei the former Director of National Education Examinations Authority, the consultant of Committee for Imperial Examination Culture, Professor LI Hongqi the Emeritus Professorof the City University of New York, professor of Institute of History, National Tsing Hua University. Also, the grandson of Mr. HUANG Yanpei, ZHANG Konglai Professor from Peking Union Medical College, donated the reproduction of Mr. HUANG Yanpei’s First-degree Scholar Gown to Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum. The granddaughter of Mr. CAI Yuanpei, CAI Leike, Associate Professor of Graduate School of Education, Peking University, donated the reproduction of Mr. CAI Yuanpei’s palace examination paper. Mr. HU Hongwei from Guangzhou donated a modern examination paper reading machine.  

In the morning, during the session of presentations about the aim of the meeting, Professor LIU Haifeng gave a presentation named The Preservation and Evolution of Jiang Nan Examination Hall. He believed the failure of separating the candidates from Suzhou Province and Anhui Province in Qing Dynasty not only helped Jiang Nan Examination Hall reach its peak in scale and make it the largest examination hall in the world, but also left us a rare example of candidates from two province having examination together, which was a valuable material for us to study this special system. During the Republican period, most of the arguments and recordation about disposing and preserving examination halls in different provinces went to Jiang Nan Examination Hall. Thus it was a detail sample for our study of the disappearance and preservation of examination halls in the post imperial examination period. Compared to the people and officers in other province, those in Nanjing City and Jiangsu Province contributed most to the conservation of examination halls. Jiang Nan Examination Hall had the most detail record and Ming Yuan Building was the symbol of Imperial Examination Culture.  With abundant historical material, fresh ideas, illustrations and pictures, Professor LIU Haifeng’s presentation left a deep impact on the audience. In the afternoon, Professor ZHENG Ruoling hosted one of the group discussions. In her presentation named Imperial Examination and the reform of College Entrance Examination, she pointed out that the Study of Imperial Examination has strong relation to the reality. There are striking similarities between the Imperial Examination and the College Entrance Examination in terms of the scale, the structure, the content, the implementation, the enrolment, the drawbacks, the social impact and the education impact of the examinations. The comprehensive and thorough study of Imperial Examination would provide meaningful suggestions to the reform of College Entrance Examination. The presentation A Review of LIU Shao’s Thoughts on Talent Appraisal was given by Professor ZHANG Yaqun. Based on the study of the Eastern Han Dynasty Scholar LIU Shao and his book Jen Wu Chih, he analyzed the source, content, status and value of LIU Shao’s thoughts on talent appraisal. Professor ZHANG Yaqun was also the host of one meeting. The Associate Professor CHEN Xingde presented on The Exploration of Imperial Examination Evaluation Methodology, indicated that while the diversification in the research perspectives would expand the research vision of Imperial Examination and rich the connotation of the Imperial Examination System, it would also lead to the fragmentation and partiality of evaluation on Imperial Examination. He argued that thoroughly and correctly evaluation of Imperial Examination called for further integration of research results on Imperial Examination, as well as the dialectical unity of evaluations on Pre Imperial Examination Era and Imperial Examination Era, Imperial Examination Era and Post Imperial Examination Era, Imperial Examination System and Western Civil Service Examination System, Imperial Examination content and structure. Professor QIAN Jianzhuang presented the Relationship between the Recovery of Academies in Southern Song Dynasty and Imperial Examination and he reckoned that despite the opposite relationship, academies and Imperial Examination included each other to some extent. Besides, PHD students LIU Liang and XU Lu shared their reports on Examination Proposition and the Change of Examination Paper Marking in Sui and Tang Dynasty, the Modern Inspiration of Ding Jia Culture, respectively. They explained the system of proposition and marking of examination paper in the ancient time, the inspiration of Ding Jia Culture in Imperial Examination to the College Entrance Examination, education and society.

The international Symposium on Imperial Examination System and Study of Imperial Examination continued to maintain the style of high standard, high level and highly international. 74 thesis were collected in the symposium. Most of the participants hold the title of professor and associate professor. Many foreign scholars attended the symposium and most of them came from different countries. With the foundation of previous studies, the scholars kept on innovation, furthering the research of Imperial Examination System and the study of Imperial Examination to a new step. Other than study Imperial Examination from the perspective of history, politics and literature, the symposium attracted more attendance from the educational world. Professor CHEN Hongjie from the Graduate School of Education, Peking University, reported about Imperial Examination and Education. Associate Professor CAI Leike presented about CAI Yuanpei’s Imperial Examination Life. The donation of HUANG Yanpei’s remains of Imperial Examination from Mr. ZHANG Konglai. All these facts proved to us the close relationship between Imperial Examination and education.

On the closing ceremony, Professor LI Zhongqing, the Dean of School of Humanities and Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, gave a speech. He highly recognized the meaning of Imperial Examination symposiums and the proposing future of the research of Imperial Examination. Professor LIU Haifeng gave an excellent conclusion to the symposium. The words of ZHANG Zai, the Confucian of Song Dynasty, the leader of Guan study, standing between the sky and the ground, striving for people’s life, passing down the old wisdom, and making the world peace, was referenced by him to interpret the symposium, which perfectly highlight the characteristics of Jiang Nan Examination Hall and the meeting hall of Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum, and revealed the talent selection function as well as historical contribution of Imperial Examination System. The participants found an echo from the profound summary. Further, he fully affirmed the research results on Imperial Examination in this symposium and announced that next symposium would be held in September, 2017 in Wuhan University.