An Inquiry into the Persistence of the System of Conferring Civil Examination Degrees and Official Posts under the Late Qing Educational Reforms

Hanxia Zhang

doi:10.63313/IJSSEH.9033

Authors

Hanxia Zhang School of History, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/IJSSEH.9033

Keywords:

Imperial Civil Examination System, System of Conferring Civil Examination Degrees and Official Posts, New-Style Education, Transitional Policy, Dialectical Evaluation

Abstract

To encourage the establishment of schools, the Qing government granted graduates of domestic new-style schools and returned overseas students graded civil examination degrees (chushen) supplemented by official posts. The abolition of the imperial civil examination system in 1905 marked a pivotal turning point in Chinese educational history, yet the system of conferring such degrees and posts —a mechanism deeply entwined with the examination system—survived until the fall of the Qing dynasty. This paper traces the historical evolution of this system, explores the reasons for its endurance as a transitional policy, analyzes its positive role in advancing new-style education, and dialectically examines its inherent drawbacks, namely the conflation of talent cultivation with official selection and the fostering of a utilitarian academic ethos. In so doing, it illuminates both the historical inevitability and the limitations of this system within the broader transition of Chinese education.

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