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question:improve and make it more academic: In the Qing Dynasty, special examinations on imperial order included categories such as “broad learning and extensive words” in the 17th year of Emperor Kangxi (AD 1678) and the first year of Emperor Qianlong (AD 1736), and “statecraft” in the 22nd year of the Guangxu Emperor in1896.
answer:Within the Qing Dynasty, the governing authorities implemented specialized examinations as per imperial decree, encompassing diverse subjects such as "comprehensive erudition and extensive vocabulary" in the 17th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1678 AD), and the inaugural year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1736 AD). Additionally, an examination focusing on the art of "statecraft" was conducted during the 22nd year of the Guangxu Emperor's rule in 1896 AD.
question:improve and make it more academic: High-ranking officials would recommend to the emperor their talented or meritorious subordinates for promotion, . It made up for the demerit of the assessment system, and thus took part of the power of the Ministry of Personnel. In the Han Dynasty, this recommendation and appointment process was named biju (辟举), where the Three Dukes, commanderies and counties had the power to recommend talents and place them on probation for their subordinate offices , and then appointed or promoted them upon vacancy in order based on records of the talents’ conduct and performance, with some even promoted to high-ranking posts of 2000 bushels. In the Northern Qi, the power of high officials to recommend their own subordinates was taken away by the Ministry of Personnel.
answer:In order to compensate for the limitations of the assessment system, high-ranking officials possessed the authority to recommend their capable and deserving subordinates for advancements. This arrangement effectively curtailed the influence of the Ministry of Personnel. In the Han Dynasty, this process of recommendation and appointment was referred to as "biju" (辟举). It involved the Three Dukes, commanderies, and counties, who held the prerogative to endorse talented individuals and subject them to a period of probation within lower offices. Candidates were then appointed or promoted based on their demonstrated competence and conduct, with some even ascending to positions of great prominence, such as the high-ranking posts of 2000 bushels. However, during the Northern Qi period, the Ministry of Personnel usurped the power of high officials to recommend their own subordinates.
question:improve and make it more academic: The practice of guaranteed recommendation later flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It began in the Ming in the 17th year of the Hongwu era (AD 1384) when court officials were ordered to recommend capable and incorrupt subordinates, and in the Yongle era of the Ming, the collective punishment was implemented to hold recommenders responsible for the malpractice of the recommended. The progress of time saw rampant corruption with the guaranteed recommendation system so that some officials gave underhand favors to their fellow townsmen, relatives, or subordinates, while other officials could not be promoted for many years without proper recommenders. The guaranteed recommendation, introduced in the middle of the Qing when it was plagued by both internal disturbance and foreign aggression, sustained till the fall of the empire. At that time, “it was possible to save the dynasty from collapse with force”, “virtuous heroes could not be selected through imperial examinations”, and “it was common for subordinates and private secretaries to squeeze into the powerful and influential ranks simply due to their superiors’ word of recommendation”. For example, when Zeng Guofan (statesman and military general of the late Qing) was suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, there were abundant talents among his private secretaries. Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Peng Yuli, etc. were among those who rose to high positions through the recommendation of Zeng.
answer:The practice of guaranteed recommendation, which gained prominence during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, had its origins in the 17th year of the Hongwu era (1384 AD) in the Ming Dynasty. This marked a significant moment when court officials were instructed to propose competent and morally upright individuals for positions of authority. In the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, measures such as collective punishment were introduced to hold recommenders accountable for any misconduct displayed by their recommended candidates. Over time, the guaranteed recommendation system became susceptible to widespread corruption. Some officials exploited their positions to grant undue favors to individuals from their hometowns, relatives, or subordinates. Concurrently, other officials faced significant delays in their career advancements due to the absence of influential recommenders. The practice persisted throughout the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, which faced internal unrest and external threats. As the dynasty faced imminent collapse, it became apparent that utilizing force rather than employing the imperial examination system was necessary to safeguard its survival. Consequently, individuals with exceptional abilities and virtuous qualities were often identified and appointed based on the recommendations of their superiors, subordinates, or private secretaries. A notable example of the influence wielded by recommenders can be observed during Zeng Guofan's suppression of the Taiping Rebellion. Among his private secretaries, there existed a wealth of talented individuals who rose to high positions through Zeng's personal recommendations. Notable figures such as Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Peng Yuli, and others garnered prominence and achieved remarkable success due to their association with Zeng.
question:improve and make it more academic: The palace examination would be held 11 days (on April 26) after the release of the honors list of the metropolitan graduates (on April 15), of which the ranking list would be released on May 1, and this process is called chuanlu (传胪, literally declaiming the successful candidates). All the candidates would be classified into three tiers, the first tier including the top three finishers, and no fixed number of graduates for the second and third tiers. The first tier graduates were granted the degree of “metropolitan graduate with honors”, which were respectively zhuangyuan (状元, optimus), bangyan (榜眼, secundus), and tanhua (探花, tertius). The second tier was awarded “regular metropolitan graduates”, the primus of whom was also called chuanlu. The third tier was granted “associate metropolitan graduates”. Graduates of all the three tiers were palace graduates, who were collectively referred to as “hanlin” (翰林).
answer:The palace examination, taking place 11 days after the publication of the honors list of metropolitan graduates on April 15, played a crucial role in the selection process. The ranking list resulting from this examination would be publicly revealed on May 1, a ceremonial event known as "chuanlu" (传胪), or the declaiming of successful candidates. Candidates were divided into three distinct tiers. The first tier consisted of the top three performers, each conferred with the esteemed titles of zhuangyuan (状元, optimus), bangyan (榜眼, secundus), and tanhua (探花, tertius) respectively. These individuals were acclaimed as "metropolitan graduates with honors". The second tier was comprised of "regular metropolitan graduates," with no fixed number of successful candidates. Among them, the top-ranked candidate would also be referred to as the "chuanlu" graduate. The third tier consisted of "associate metropolitan graduates". Irrespective of their tier, all graduates were designated as palace graduates and collectively known as "hanlin" (翰林).