| Abstract |
Since the dynasties of Sui and T’ang, the Chinese governments had adopted the same system of imperial examinations in selecting governmental officers. Following the exam systems of the Ming dynasty, the Ch’ing government not only admitted the bannermen and Han people to take the same exam but set the imperial examination on translation with the Manchu characters for the bannermen. For the purpose to encourage the bannermen to learn Manchu language, Emperor Yung-cheng, imitating the system of imperial examination, held the examination on translation for those talented hsiu-ts’ai, chu-jen, and chin-shih in 1732, which is the first year of his imperial throne. After the adjustments made in the early period of Ch’ien-lung: making clear provisions in the scope of examination, qualities for admission, and enrollment numbers, the system became complete. Yet in 1754, owing to the ineffectiveness of the examination as well as its overlapping with the translation examination held by the central government, the imperial government terminated the provincial and metropolitan examinations on translation till 1778. During the periods of Chiach’ing and Tao-kuang, there were some important changes made in the imperial examination on translation. First, the examination system that had been divided into three levels was then much more complete than ever; second, to save the toil of traveling, the eight-banner examinees were allowed to attend the exams for selecting hsiu-ts’ai and chu-jen in their garrisons; moreover, issues such as the procedures of examinations and regulations for preventing cheating were also corrected and improved, which could then be followed by the coming emperors Hsien-fen, T’ung-chih and Kuang-hsu. Just as in the imperial examination, the Confucian classics were the scope of exam on translation: in the exam for hsiu- ts’ai, a translation essay from Chinese to Manchu language was required, and in the exams for chu-jen and chin-shih, a composition in Manchu language would be added. Toyo Bunko has the collection of exam questions on translation for hsiu-ts’ai and the government departments, while the Academia Sinica and National Palace Museum have the exam questions for provincial and metropolitan examinations, which could be the references to better understand the contents of such a special system of imperial examination. |
