A Study On The Place Of Imperial Examinations In Song Dynasty

The place of imperial examinations is the place where the imperial examination is held,and it is an important component and carrier of the imperial examination system.The The place of imperial examinations mainly includes the The place of imperial examinations of the Central Ministry of Rites and the The place of imperial examinations of local prefectures and counties.The The place of imperial examinations of the Ministry of Rites is not only an institution for managing provincial examinations,but also a place for holding provincial examinations.As a provincial examination management organization,it is responsible for accepting the work of name-raising,family certificate,papers,examining the qualifications of candidates(household registration,enumeration,annual teeth),questions,examinations,admissions,maintenance of examination room discipline,examination papers and archives of candidates.As a provincial test venue,it is mainly for scholars to participate in provincial test venues,including all kinds of building facilities in The place of imperial examinations.The The place of imperial examinations of the Ministry of Rites came into being in the Tang Dynasty.When it was first built,there was no independent building.The examination venues mostly relied on the southern courtyard of the Ministry of Rites in Shangshu Province.In the early Northern Song Dynasty,the Gong Yuan of the Ministry of Rites underwent a process of change from residing in Shangshu Province,monastery to Taixue.During the period of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty,the Gong Yuan of the Ministry of Rites was established in Piyong,a foreign school of Taixue.Although there were still no independent buildings,the place was fixed.At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty,the court ordered the prefectures to establish Gong Yuans.However,due to economic and political factors,only a few of them were built,such as Fuzhou,Zhenzhou and Taizhou Gong Yuans.In the early period after the Song Dynasty's South migration,the imperial examinations were held mostly in monasteries.With the political stability of the Southern Song Dynasty,during the period of Gaozong Shaoxing,the Gong Yuan of the Ministry of Rites had its own buildings.During the period of Xiaozong in Southern Song Dynasty,imperial examinations were greatly developed,and the construction of local tribute courts gradually increased with the increase of the number of scholars.The Song Dynasty Gong Yuan as a form of architecture,its site selection is also quite exquisite,the main factors affecting the site selection are the construction of Gong Yuan funds and cycles,local topography,traffic conditions,geomantic omen theory,etc.The architectural features of the Gong Yuans in the Song Dynasty are symmetrical distribution along the central axis,orderly primary and secondar y,and complete facilities and functions.Whether it is the Gong Yuan of the Ministry of Rites or the local Gong Yuan,it mainly consists of office area,test area and living area.The office area has sealed,transcribed,reading room and other office space,the test area is a connected corridor,living area by kitchen,wel s,living quarters and other building facilities.The main reasons for the construction of Gong Yuans in Song Dynasty were the influence of social economy and politics,the inconvenience of borrowing the courtyard,the increase of the number of imperial examinees,the narrowness of the courtyard and the urgent needs of local officials and scholars.Adequate funds are an important condition for the construction of tribute courts.There are four main sources of funds for the construction of tributary courts,namely,court appropriation,local government self-financing,government donations at all levels,and local people's financing.When local funds are insufficient,administrative officials apply for funds and support from lower authorities.Local people play an important role in the construction of tribute courts.In some places,the funds raised by local people sometimes account for a large proportion.The system of locking courtyards,anti-fraud measures and strict inspection system of Gong Yuans in Song Dynasty reflected the strict management of imperial examinations,which played a positive role in maintaining the examination order of Gong Yuans and preventing officials and candidates from engaging in favoritism and fraud.The implementation of these systems is mainly realized through the materialized carrier of the Gong Yuan,which provided a platform for fair competition for many candidates in the Song Dynasty.Gong Yuans are not unused for a long time during the non-examination period.Both Gong Yuans of the Ministry of Rites and Gong Yuans of prefectures and counties will be changed to other uses by the court or local officials and the people.The functions of the Gong Yuan are various.The Gong Yuan of the Ministry of Rites can hold periodic gatherings,holy feasts and sacrificial activities.Local Gong Yuans can be used to hold village drinking ceremonies,serve as places of lecture,administrative office,refuge,temporary garrison of the army and so on.The place of imperial examinations is the starting point of countless scholar's rapid development.It draws the scholar's happiness,anger and joy,and reflects the cultural outlook of the imperial examination era.The establishment of the Gong Yuan makes the imperial examination more rigorous and standardized,which is an external guarantee for the impartiality of the candidates.