This book is a comprehensive and systematic exposition of the history of the emergence, development, and evolution of Chinese imperial examination system. It gathers the author’s insights from over thirty years of research on the history of the imperial examination and can be regarded as a summary work on the study of imperial examination history in China. It follows the historical sequence, taking the development and evolution of the imperial examination as the warp, and the characters, events, activities, and thoughts as the latitude. It not only narrates the history of the imperial examination system, but also pays attention to the actual operation of the imperial examination system. At the same time, it takes into account the historical development of examination thought. And during narration, it focuses on the interaction and interdependence between people and the system, as well as their interactive influence. Therefore, it is both academic and readable.

Translated by: Chen Xue