Imperial examination

Abstract: This paper examines the relationships between political centralism and the Imperial Examination in imperial China and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in the People's Republic of China. A brief history of the two systems is given. The purposes, characteristics, strengths and limits of the two systems are discussed. The relationships between the two systems and Chinese education, the relationships between the two systems and Chinese political systems, and the relationships between the two systems and the common people in different historical periods are also discussed. These discussions lead to the understanding that the two systems have served the political needs of both the ruling classes and the commoners (although it has been limited for the latter), and contributed to the continuity of political centralism. The NCEE is still indispensable but it needs reform.

Abstract: Using the sample of China's A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2019 and the index of jinshi density to measure the historical imperial examination system, we empirically test the influence of the imperial examination system on corporate social responsibility. We find that the imperial examination system can encourage firms to improve their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) level. The results are robust to using the instrumental variable method, propensity score matching method, Heckman two-step regression, and a series of other tests. The mechanism analysis shows that regional education level and corporate social capital play a mediating role in the promotion of corporate social responsibility by the imperial examination system. Further analysis shows that the characteristics of the board of directors, external supervision pressure, and the shareholding ratio of institutional investors are important factors affecting the positive correlation. We further explore the role of the informal institution in corporate governance.

Abstract: Wang Zheng was a Chinese official interested in machine design from a young age. In the 1620s, he became familiar with European missionaries and the knowledge they brought to China. Together with Johannes Schreck Terrenz (1576–1630), a German Jesuit missionary, he compiled Yuanxi Qiqi Tushuo Luzui (A Record of the Best Illustrations and Descriptions of Extraordinary Devices of the Far West) to introduce European mechanics and machines to China. This remained the most authoritative book on mechanics and machine design in China until the 1860s. Wang Zheng published two further books on machine design and constructed several devices himself. In 1644, he committed suicide because of the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Abstract: Chinese traditional education was dominated by the imperial examination system, which had roots in the 2nd century B.C., became fully institutionalised in the Tang dynasty, and continued to operate until 1905. Within this system the most valued knowledge was that enshrined in the Classical Canons, which focused on human relationships, beginning with the family and embracing the whole empire. The Yanan style of education was forged in conscious reaction to western education systems which had been imposed on China for some decades with uneven success. In their educational experiments in the Border Regions under their control before and during the Civil War, roughly from 1936 to 1949, the Communists were clear as to why a western style education system would not suit their needs. When the earliest attempts were made to build a modern schooling system in China, the normative context was strongly Confucian.