Ha Noi - 1000 Years Thang Long - Temple of Literature (Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam) - Part III

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The Royal Examinations of temple of literature

Education at the Quoc Tu Giam prepared students for the royal examination, the gateway to becoming a scholar mandarin and serving at the court or in a high position in the provinces, Those who did not pass the exam still held a position as part of the nation's educated class, and often returned to their villages as school masters.

Both the examinations and the honors conferred evolved over the centuries. The following description is of examinations in the 15th century. The multi-stage examination process could take several months. The first step, called the Thi Huong was a regional examination held triennially.

Those who passed then came to Hanoi with their sleeping mats, brushes, and ink- stones to sit for the four-part Thi Hoi. A candidate had to pass each part in sequence in order to qualify to sit for the following part.

The first part, called Kinh Nghia, was based directly on the Confucian classics. Examinees were given four subjects from the four canons, and told to choose one. In addition they had to choose one of three questions based on the five pre-Confucian classics. Finally, they were given two questions based on the spring and Autumn Annals, and told to synthesize them. For the second part of the, examination, the Che Chieu Bieu, a candidate had to write as though he were the king, discussing matters of state.

Candidates who passed the second test were then required to write two different kinds of poems on given topics, in the Tho Phu. The tho was a poem of 28 words, divided into four lines of seven words, the phu a prose poem of 8 seven word lines. The final part of the doctoral exam was the Van Sach, in which candidates were asked to comment on how to handle problems facing the country, drawing from their knowledge of the four classics and the history of previous dynasties.

Those who completed all four were conferred the title of doctor laureate (tien si), and invited to the palace for the Thi Dinh, or palace examination. During this examination, the king himself posed the question and read the responses of the candidates. He then ranked the tien si into three groups, and conferred special distinction on the three most successful candidates of the highest-ranking group.

The new mandarins were offered a hat and gown, given a banquet at the palace, and sent home to their villages in triumphal procession. There they in turn offered a feast to the village, sometimes to their financial ruin. From 1076 to 1779, the date of the last royal examination held in Hanoi, 2,313 examinees were awarded the title of tien si, or doctor laureate. Today 1306 of their names, beginning with the examination in 1442, are still to be found on the 82 stelae at the Van Mieu.

The number of examinees awarded the tien si degree in anyone year ranged from 3 to 61. Ages of the laureates ranged from 16 to 61. The examinations may have been held on the site of what is now the national library, as suggested by some historians and by the street name, Trang Thi, or Examination Street. With from 450 to 6000 candidates, the area had to have been a large one.

The scholars differed greatly in their contributions to their country. Some were more virtuous than others; some were nothing more than bureaucrats. Yet many were brilliant: mathematicians and philosophers, statesmen and finance ministers, officials renowned for fighting corruption and abuse of privilege.

Literature and public service were not distinct realms, Poets also contributed to the economic life of their times by bringing high-yielding maize from China, by improving techniques for silk weaving and reed mat weaving, and by developing the system of irrigation canals, Many of the most brilliant statesmen were also poets, An example is Nguyen Trai, the moving spirit of ' a victorious 15th century insurrection against the Chinese, who is still honored as one of Vietnam's greatest statesmen. Each stele represents an examination year, starting from 1442, the first year individual names were recorded. All the names for a given year are inscribed on a single stele. Over the centuries, 30 of the stelae have disappeared.

For other part related to Ha Noi 1000 years Celebration, please refer to:
Ha Noi - 1000 Years Thang Long

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Photos

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Box for nomination

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Document folder

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Test of Exam - Le dynasty

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Customs of National university student

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Customs of National university student

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Cups, plates of Le Dynasty

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Cups, plates of Le Dynasty

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Tent and bamboo beds

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Private class

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Confucian

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Violation of examination

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Doctor Customs

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Inside Quoc Tu Giam