中国科举考试及其近代解释五论

近30年来,西方学者开始重视地方社会的差异,并以此作为研究中国科举制度的一个重要切入点,着重探讨科举与地方重要家族、地方教育及地方文化发展的关系.考试的观念和制度是中国科举对世界文明最大的贡献.中国科举考试采用笔试而不用口试,这有利于维护科举的公正性,但也产生了许多弊端.这种注重笔试而不重视辩论的科举传统,塑造了中国人的权威性格,造成了中国人注重文献积累和文字书写的治学方法.

Five Discussions on the Chinese Imperial Examination and its Modern Explanation

In the past 30 years, Western scholars have attached more importance to social diversity among regions. Taking this as a point of entry, they have studied the Chinese Imperial Examination (CIE) system and its relation in particular with local distinguished families, regional education and culture. It is asserted that the system and conception of CIE constitute great contributions to the world civilization. The adoption of a written examination, as opposed to an oral one, safeguarded CIE's impartiality albeit without many problems. The emphasis on written examination rather than discussions resulted in the Chinese authoritarian personality and its academic approach focusing on literature accumulation and writing.