Uncovering the secrets of the imperial examination

How did ancient Chinese scholars travel to the capital for the imperial examination? A new interactive installation at Gathering Talents Around the Land — The Imperial Examination Culture of Ancient China, the renovated permanent exhibition of Beijing's Confucian Temple and Guozijian (Imperial College) Museum, provides the answer.

Simply select the scholar's home province on a large screen and watch a vivid animation of his arduous trip to the capital — usually by boat and then horseback — on a backdrop of a map, with the cost of the journey also laid out.

With about 130 exhibits alongside graphics and multimedia presentations, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the 1,300-year history of China's keju (the imperial examination system), which was designed to recruit civil officials for the bureaucracy, shining a spotlight on the system's profound impact on Chinese civilization and the world.