Talent selection has always been a top priority in all dynasties, and the methods of talent selection have been changing with the changes in history.
The Western Zhou Dynasty mainly adopted the system of selecting talents from the countryside. As the name suggests, it is to inspect and recommend from the countryside. However, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the system of selecting talents and talents was advocated, that is, selecting talented talents to lead everyone. .
In the Han Dynasty, the main system for selecting officials was the "chaju system". The main subject of the "chaju system" was "appointment of filial piety and integrity", that is, "appointment of virtuous officials through officials". Therefore, before the Sui Dynasty, To become an official in the court, you basically have to rely on the recommendation of government officials. The disadvantage of this electoral system is that it is difficult to produce a noble son from a poor family.
In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty adopted "ten subjects" to select scholars. Among them, the literary, artistic, and beautiful subjects were considered to be the later Jinshi subjects. This was also the prototype of the imperial examination system. When Wu Zetian came to power in the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system was further improved. In order to cultivate her own power, Wu Zetian initiated the imperial examination. Since then, the imperial examination system has been the main method for selecting talents in all dynasties and generations.
Portrait of the Imperial Examination
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, facing the Central Plains, which was full of waste and waiting for development, there was an urgent need for a large number of talents to manage the country and develop the national economy. To this end, Zhu Yuanzhang held the provincial examination in the third year of Hongwu (AD 1370), and held the joint examination in the second year (AD 1371) to open a subject to obtain scholars. This subject is also known as the first in the history of the Ming Dynasty. division.
However, the imperial examination system only lasted for four years in the early Ming Dynasty. In the sixth year of Hongwu (AD 1373), Zhu Yuanzhang announced the temporary abolition of the imperial examination system, which lasted until the seventeenth year of Hongwu (AD 1384). The imperial examination system was restored. Why did Zhu Yuanzhang abolish the imperial examination system that had been implemented since the Sui and Tang Dynasties? Is there any deep-seated reason for this? The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the imperial examination system
In 1352 AD, after receiving a letter from his childhood friend Tang He, Zhu Yuanzhang was invited to join Guo Zixing's Red Scarf Army. After joining Guo Zixing's Red Scarf Army, Zhu Yuanzhang stood out in the army with his own abilities and married Guo Zixing's adopted daughter Ma.
Portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang
After Guo Zixing died of illness, Zhu Yuanzhang became the actual leader of the entire rebel army. After years of fighting in the north and south, he successively defeated local separatist forces such as Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, and Fang Guozhen. , unified the vast territory south of the Yangtze River Basin, and then ordered General Xu Da to lead the army in the Northern Expedition, eliminating the Yuan Dynasty's influence in the north.
In the process of eliminating all forces, Zhu Yuanzhang fully understood the importance of talents in achieving his great cause, so he ordered the recommendation of talents many times. When attacking Huizhou, Zhu Sheng, who was recommended by his general Deng Yu and gave Zhu Yuanzhang a nine-character motto, came to Zhu Yuanzhang's army and gave advice to Zhu Yuanzhang from then on. Zhu Sheng then recommended Liu Bowen, Ye Chen and others to Zhu Yuanzhang. Liu Bowen later became Zhu Yuanzhang's first military advisor and was known as Zhu Yuanzhang's Zhang Liang.
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the country was in dire straits, and Zhu Yuanzhang’s need for talents became even more urgent. Therefore, while adopting the recommendation system, the imperial examination system that had been implemented since the Sui and Tang Dynasties also entered the scope of Zhu Yuanzhang’s consideration. In the third year of Hongwu (AD 1370), a provincial examination was held to select talents.
Still photos of Zhu Yuanzhang
From the third year of Hongwu to the sixth year of Hongwu, the Ming Dynasty held many provincial examinations and joint examinations to select many talents for the Ming Dynasty. But at the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang was also keen. Many problems existing in the imperial examination system were discovered.
Judging from Zhu Yuanzhang’s original intention of launching the imperial examination, Zhu Yuanzhang hoped to select some talents for governing the country through the imperial examination for his own use. However, the contents of the imperial examinations are all a subset of classics and history. Although these candidates write well, they generally lack administrative skills that need to be exercised in practice. At best, these candidates can only be used as the country's administrative reserve talents. Zhu Yuanzhang was very disappointed and ordered the imperial examination to be temporarily abolished. Talent selection methods after the abolition of the imperial examination system
After the imperial examination system was temporarily abolished, for the Ming Dynasty, talent selection had to continue. Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the old method of the war years, the recommendation system to select the talents needed by the country. Various talents.
Still photos of Zhu Yuanzhang
Under the recommendation system at that time, the recommended subjects were mainly divided into the following eight subjects. The eight subjects were:
Smart and upright, virtuous and upright , Xiaoti Litian (a person who honors his parents and works hard in farming), a Confucian scholar (a person who is proficient in religious rituals and music), filial piety and integrity, a scholar, a talented person, a senior citizen (a person who is older and prestigious)
Although there is no age requirement for recommended people, in actual circumstances, the recommended people must be people with local prestige. Most of these people are older, which will lead to the aging of local administrative departments. At the same time, since the requirements for the recommended candidates are low (they only need to meet one of the eight recommended subjects), this will inevitably lead to the fact that not all the recommended people are good people, but also filled with a large number of mediocre people.
In view of the above shortcomings of the current recommendation system, Zhu Yuanzhang reformed the recommendation system and changed the original eight subjects to six subjects. The six subjects are:
Jingming Practicing cultivation, practicing writing and writing, being proficient in calligraphy, good character, skilled in governance, and well-organized in speech
The main difference between the recommended six subjects and the recommended eight subjects is that the recommended eight subjects only require you to satisfy one of the subjects. , will be recommended as an official, and the six recommended subjects will divide the candidates into multiple levels, such as upper, middle and lower, according to the degree of matching of the candidates with the six subjects. The upper-level candidates are recommended to be officials, and the lower-level candidates are candidates. Even if they are not selected, this will reduce the probability of mediocre people being selected.
The Restoration of the Imperial Examination System
After the imperial examination system was temporarily abolished by Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang followed the old method of the war years and adopted the recommendation system to select talents. During the war years, the recommendation system was only used on a small scale, and the disadvantages of the recommendation system were not shown. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country was in dire need of development, and the number of talents needed increased exponentially. At this time, the disadvantages of the recommendation system were also infinitely magnified. .
Under the recommendation system, there is no way to guarantee the quality of recommended talents, although the recommendation system was later reformed from eight recommended subjects to six recommended subjects. However, the degree of matching between a person and the six recommended subjects is still determined manually. There is no corresponding assessment of the candidates and the lack of corresponding objective evaluation standards.
Therefore, after ten years of accumulation, Zhu Yuanzhang announced the restoration of the imperial examination system in the 17th year of Hongwu and held the scientific examination in the same year. This subject did not disappoint Zhu Yuanzhang, and a large number of Ming Dynasty's big players were among them. Ministers stood out through this subject, including Huang Zicheng, who suggested that Emperor Jianwen reduce the vassal state. The two most famous ministers in the early Ming Dynasty, Xia Yuanji and Jian Yi, were also selected in this subject. While restoring the imperial examination system, Zhu Yuanzhang did not abolish the recommendation system, but ran the two systems in parallel. However, according to Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, the subsequent recommendation system needed to include the examination process at the same time as the recommendation, so the recommendation system actually existed in name only.
Summary of stills of Emperor Jianwen
When Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination system originated in the Sui and Tang Dynasties had been implemented in the Central Plains for 800 years. Although in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang found that the talents selected by the imperial examination system lacked administrative experience, so he abolished the imperial examination system for ten years. However, after repeated practice and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the imperial examination system and the recommendation system, he finally chose The imperial examination system was the ultimate method for selecting talents in the Ming Dynasty. There is a famous saying in China: "Practice is the only criterion for testing truth." Zhu Yuanzhang can be regarded as a staunch practitioner of this famous saying.