Written by one of the foremost historians of Chinese institutions, this book focuses on China's civil service examination system in its final and most elaborate

During China's late imperial period (roughly 1400-1900 CE), men would gather by the millions every two or three years outside official examination compounds spr

In this multidimensional analysis, Benjamin A. Elman uses over a thousand newly available examination records from the Yuan, Ming, and Ch'ing dynasties, 1315-19

The Chinese imperial examination system is unique in traditional Chinese society with origins dating back 1,300 years, and has had a far-reaching impact not onl