The civil service exam was the gateway to life as a scholar-official. The prestige and importance of the exam under the Song is demonstrated by the rapid increase in exam takers, from 30,000 in the early 1100s to 400,000 at the end of the dynasty. To pass the exam was to enter a powerful and exalted class and was essential for anyone with serious political ambitions. This image of exam takers suggests the place of the exam in Song society. A guarded bridge separates the exam takers from the outside world. Inside the exam room, a group of candidates work diligently at their exams, as a would-be scholar-official, head bowed in humble supplication, offers his completed work to the exalted examiners. As you look at the image, be sure to focus on the details. What connections can you make between the exam and its setting?
(Civil Service Exam Under Emperor Jen Tsung [fl.1022], from a history of Chinese emperors [color on silk], Chinese School [17th century]/Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France/Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library)