The spectacle of anxious parents poring over the entrance list of a reputable school to see if their child has been admitted is nothing new. The Chinese have strived for more than 1,400 years for high academic achievement.
Instituted by Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty in AD605, the imperial examination system dominated and shaped Chinese aspirations and values through subsequent dynasties. Although it was abolished in 1905 by the Qing court shortly before the 1911 revolution, the pursuit of social status or family honour through study and examination remains deeply rooted in the Chinese psyche.
'A look at the imperial exam system gives you clues to lots of cultural phenomena about the Chinese, such as why boys are preferred over girls, and why parents are obsessed with helping their kids get ahead in education,' says Josephine Wong Lai-kuen, a curator at the Hong Kong Museum of History.
Families will find plenty they can relate to at a new exhibition being hosted by the museum. Entitled 'Knowledge-Power: the imperial examination system of the Qing dynasty', it features more than 100 precious artefacts from Shanghai's Jiading Museum, making it the largest display on the subject ever presented in the city.
'The imperial examination was a powerful tool to motivate the community to strive to reach the top. It was open to the entire society and the reward was more than a post in the officialdom. It was the honour and recognition that came with it, not just for the individual but also for the family, clan and even the entire province,' Wong says.
For many, the exam meant more than obtaining an official title, be it an imperial jinshi or a provincial xiucai, and it was a lifelong pursuit. One story has it that a 100-year-old man, aided by his grandchildren, finally managed to sit the exam after decades of perseverance.