Jiangnan Examination Hall: A witness to the thousand-year imperial examination system

Jiangnan Examination Hall, located by the Qinhuai River and next to the Confucius Temple, is the largest imperial examination hall in Chinese history. It was built in 1168 during the Southern Song Dynasty and reached its peak during the Ming and Qing Dynasties after several renovations and expansions. By the Tongzhi period, there were 20,644 examination rooms, which could accommodate more than 20,000 candidates at the same time. The total area exceeded 300,000 square meters, making it the largest imperial examination hall in ancient China. From its construction to the abolition of the imperial examination system in the late Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan Examination Hall produced more than 800 top scholars, more than 100,000 successful candidates, and more than 1 million candidates. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, more than half of the officials in the country came from Jiangnan Examination Hall, which is known as the "cradle of ancient Chinese officials." 📍Address: No. 120, Gongyuan Street, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province (290 meters from Exit 2 of Fuzimiao Subway Station) 🕙Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 09:00–22:00 🎫Ticket information: CNY 50 ✅Must-try experiences: 1️⃣Jiangnan Examination Hall Archway: The Imperial Examination Museum was built on the site of Jiangnan Examination Hall. Fang Bao, Tang Yin, Wu Jingzi, Zheng Banqiao, Zhang Jian, and Chen Duxiu all came from here. Lin Zexu and Zeng Guofan also served as chief examiners at Jiangnan Examination Hall. 2️⃣"Chinese Imperial Examination Museum" Stone Platform: Here, you can see an ink pool and a mirror reflecting the Mingyuan Building. 3️⃣Lianzhong Sanyuan Archway: Lianzhong Sanyuan means winning first place in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, which are Jieyuan, Huiyuan, and Zhuangyuan. Walking through these three archways, you can wish your children success in the exams. 4️⃣Examination Room: The "Fish and Dragon Transformation" exhibition hall has a simulated ancient examination room, where you can experience the scene of ancient students in the imperial examination hall. 5️⃣Golden List: This cultural relic is the Guangxu 20th Year Jiawu Enke Golden List. The top scholar is Zhang Jian, an industrialist and educator in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. 6️⃣Mingyuan Building: The word "Mingyuan" is derived from the meaning of "cautious and far-reaching, virtuous and thick" in the Analects of Confucius. 📝Tips: The ticket price includes the Imperial Examination Museum, which is located opposite Jiangnan Examination Hall. It is a four-story underground building, mainly displaying the changes in the Chinese imperial examination system and cultural relics related to the imperial examination in different dynasties.