The Literary Institutions of China, are the pillars that give stability to the government. Her military forces are utterly inadequate to hold together the numerous and extensive provinces and territories, that constitute the wide dominions of the reigning dynasty. With great difficulty the Tartar troops overrun the country; conquering province after province, and gradually extending their authority over the territories on the west of China Proper. But for a long period both the discipline and the energies of the Chinese soldiery have been on the wane: and at this moment the imperial hosts present nothing formidable but their numerical amount; the recent insurrections at Leen-chow and Formosa, have afforded the most complete evidence of this imbecility. Not only in this part of the empire, but along the whole coast up to the great wall on the north, and even beyond that in Mantchou Tartary, both the land and naval forces have become so exceedingly enervated and dissolute, that they exercise no salutary influence or control, except over a few, who are equally debased with themselves. As police-men, in the capacity of lictors, thief-takers, and executioners, they are not less detested than feared by the common people; they are in fact, for all purposes of defence, little better than dead men; were they stricken from the catalogue of the living, we can scarcely doubt that the stability of the empire would remain unimpaired.
There are many who look with astonishment at the magnitude of this empire, and believe it strong and immoveable as the everlasting hills. But an examination of its history and present organization, would show them that it has been frequently rent and broken by rebel chieftains, ambitious statesmen, and haughty kings; and that its present greatness is chiefly attributable to its peculiar literary institutions. These, though they are the glory and strength of the nation, are, except for mere purposes of government, amazingly deficient; and it is their relative rather than intrinsic value, that renders them worthy of special notice. Wealth and patronage have great influence here; they often control the acts of government, stay the course of justice, cover the guilty, and confer honours and emoluments on the undeserving. But as a general rule, learning, while it is an indispensable prerequisite for all those who aspire to places of trust and authority in the state, is sure to command respect, influence, and distinction.
Thus, without the dreadful alternative of overthrowing the powers that be, a way is opened to ambitious youth, by which he may reach the highest station in the empire; the throne only excepted. Usually the most distinguished statesmen are those who have risen to eminence by intellectual efforts: they are at once the philosophers, the teachers, and rulers of the land. These distinctions they cannot however maintain, without yielding implicit obedience to the will of the monarch, which is most absolute and uncontrolled. Let them honour and obey the power that is over them, and they stand; dependant indeed on the one hand, but on the other, in proud and envied distinction.
LITERARY EXAMINATIONS.
High rank in the state is the brightest glory to which this people aspire; with them, learning derives its chief value from the simple fact, that it brings them within the reach of that dazzling prize. Strict examinations, regulated by a fixed code of laws, have been instituted and designed solely to elicit from the body of the community the “true talent” of the people, with the ulterior intention of applying it to purposes of government. At these examinations, which are open to all except menial servants, lictors, players, and priests, it is determined who shall rise to distinction and shed glory on their ancestors and posterity—who shall live on in obscurity and die and be forgotten. The competitors of the Olympic games never entered the arena before the assembled thousands of their countrymen, with deeper emotion than that which agitates the bosoms of those who contest the palm of these literary combats. The days on which they are held, and their results published in Canton, are the proudest which its inhabitants ever witnessed. A brief notice of them may be interesting to the reader, and at the same time enable him to understand more fully the nature and object of the schools and colleges of the provincial city.
The highest literary examinations in the empire are triennial, and take place at Peking. Besides these, there are also occasional examinations granted by special favour of the emperor. Up to these contests, the most distinguished scholars go, from all the provinces. This privilege is not gained without long, patient, and successful endeavour; the examinations at which it is determined who shall enjoy it, occur also triennially and are held in the metropolis of each province. These examinations are of incomparable interest to great multitudes of the people, in every department and district of the empire. High honours, rich emoluments, and in a word, every thing that the young aspirant and his numerous kindred most esteem, are at stake; a long season of preparation has been endured, heavy expenses incurred; and now the decisive hour approaches.
Two examiners are chosen from distinguished officers at Peking, under the immediate superintendance of the emperor; within five days after they are chosen, they must leave the capital. They are allowed the use of the post-horses belonging to government. Upon those who come to Canton six hundred taels are conferred, to defray their expenses while on the road; two hundred of which are paid when they commence their journey from Peking, and the remainder by the governor of the province, when they are about to return after the examination is completed.
The above examiners are assisted by ten others, who are selected from the local officers over whom the foo-yuen presides. Besides these there are many inferior officers, who are employed as inspectors, guards, &c. All these, together with the candidates, their attendants, &c., amounting to ten thousand and upward, assemble at the Kung-yuen, a large and spacious building designed solely for these occasions. It contains numerous apartments, so that each candidate may be seated separately from his competitors. All the seats are numbered. The apartments are low and narrow, have only a single entrance, and no furniture except a chair and a narrow writing-desk.
The number of candidates who assemble in Canton is between seven and eight thousand. They are often attended by their friends, and continue here for several weeks, and sometimes for months; during which time the hum and bustle of the city are greatly increased, and every kind of mercantile business receives a new impulse. These candidates are always persons of some distinction, which they must have gained, either at previous examinations or by the payment of large sums of money. They are all called sew-tsae, a title not unlike that of master of arts; they are divided into several classes; those who have purchased their degree are often despised by the others, and are generally regarded with less respect than those who have gained it by their own merits. They meet on equal terms, and their “true nobility” is to be determined by personal efforts, which are to be made during a fixed period and under fixed circumstances. The candidates assemble on the eighth moon; but none are allowed to enter the examination except those who have been previously enrolled by the literary chancellor of the province. The age, features, place of residence, and lineage, of each candidate must be given in the chancellor’s list, and a copy of it lodged in the office of the “foo-yuen.” They must all attend at the examinations in their native province; and those who give in a false account of their family and lineage, or place of nativity, are expelled and degraded; for no candidate can be admitted at any place without proving that his family has been resident there for three generations.
The examination continues for several days, and each student must undergo a series of trials. The first is on the ninth of the moon, the second on the twenty-second, and the third on the fifteenth. The candidates are required to enter their apartments, on the day preceding the examination, and are not allowed to leave them until the day after it has closed. Thus they must pass two nights in close and solitary confinement. On the first day of their examination, three themes, which are selected from the “Four books,” are proposed to them, and they are required to give the meaning and scope of each, to which a fourth is added, on which they must compose a short poem in rhyme. On the second day, a theme is given them from each of the “Five classics;” and on the third day, five questions, which shall refer to the history or political economy of the country. The themes must be sententious, and have a meaning which is refined and profound. They must not be such as have often been discussed. Those which are given out for poetry, must be grave and important. In the themes for essays on political economy, the chief topics must be concerning things of real importance, the principles of which are clear and evidently of a correct nature. “There is no occasion to search and inquire into devious and unimportant subjects.” All questions concerning the character and learning of statesmen of the present dynasty, as well as all topics which relate to its policy, must be carefully avoided. The paper on which the themes and essays are written is prepared with great care; and must be inspected at the office of the poo-ching-sze. It is firm and thick, and the only kind that may be used. The price of it is fixed by authority. The number of characters, both in the themes and essays, is limited. The lines must be straight, and all the characters full and fair. At the close of every paper, containing elegant composition, verses, or answers to questions, it must be stated by the students how many characters have been blotted out or altered; if the number exceed one hundred, the writer is tsee-chuh, “pasted out;” which means, that his name is pasted up at the gate of the hall, as having violated the rules of the examination, and he is forthwith excluded from that year’s examination.