A museum was opened in Shanghai over the weekend to exhibit everything about China's imperial examinations -- from test papers to evidences of fraud seized in the ancient testing system to select officials.
China National Museum of Imperial Examinations is located in Shanghai's Confucius Temple in Jiading district, an 800-year-old building to commemorate Confucius, an ancient Chinese thinker, educator and statesman worshipped as the founding father of the teaching profession, the Beijing Times reported Monday.
It said many private collectors contributed to the museum, with the original copy of a test paper dating back to the early 20th century, flax waistcoats stuffed with slips of paper and books printed with characters smaller than sesames which examinees stealthily took to the exams.
With nearly 1,000 exhibits, the museum also showcases the procedures of the imperial exam system, its relations with Confucianism and Chinese civilization, its development, abolishment and the role it played in China's history.
The imperial examination system was founded in 605 and abolished in 1905. Several million successful candidates stood out in exams to enter officialdom.
Jiading district in Shanghai alone was home to nearly 200 scholar-turned-officials in history.
(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2006)
