Mock imperial exams

Ancient chinese examination
 We were in a guided tour in the Ming's court. We were led to an examination booth. to sit for the Siew Cai exam. I failed as I didn't know the words. This guy and gal passed the exams with flying colours.
He later told me the results were posted on the desk. He was sure it was by random. I want my money back. They should have a translated copy.

Jingjiang Princes' Palace (Chinese: 靖江王府; pinyin: Jìngjiāng Wángfǔ) is a historical site in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It now functions as both Guangxi Normal University and as a tourist attraction.^[1]


The Chinese imperial examinations were a civil service examination system in Imperial China to select candidates for the state bureaucracy. Although there were imperial exams as early as the Han dynasty, the system became widely utilized as the major path to office only in the mid-Tang dynasty, and remained so until its abolition in 1905. Since the exams were based on knowledge of the classics and literary style, not technical expertise, successful candidates were generalists who shared a common language and culture, one shared even by those who failed. This common culture helped to unify the empire and the ideal of achievement by merit gave legitimacy to imperial rule, while leaving clear problems resulting from a systemic lack of technical and practical expertise.

At 18, Great-Grand Father Chan Kwong Kwok was a Xiu Cai (an equivalent of a bachelor’s degree). He was the only Xiu Cai in the village. Unfortunately, because the family was poor, he could not pursue his further studies to the ultimate the Zhuangyuan(状元),Great-Grand Father was headhunted and offered the position of the “governor”, the head of this big company Kong Nan Seng Agricultural Co, in August, 1907. He led the second batch of Cantones, a group of bachelors, to Sibu. He was to lead a few more journeys, the 3rd where my grandfather came. This group including women and children.
Great Father co -founded a school for the children of immigrants. This school still exist.
Today, my family went to a New Zealand forest. I was thinking, great grandfather would be laughing to call this a forest, compared this to the thick primary jungle when he first came to Borneo.