China, Imperial Examinations and Related Papers (Han Yu-shan Collection), 1646-1904
This is a small collection of palace examinations in the Han Yu-shan Collection of the East Asian Library at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
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China, Imperial Examinations and Related Papers (Han Yu-shan Collection)
What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 1646-1904. It is a collection of palace examinations from the Han Yu-shan Collection of the East Asian Library at UCLA, Los Angeles, California. Han Yu-shan was a professor in the History Department at the university.
Until 1905 Imperial China used civil service examinations to select candidates for government jobs. The exams tested knowledge of classical literature and Confucianism texts. Although the exams were open to all Chinese men, usually only wealthy families had the time and money to devote to studying for the exams. There were four levels of the exam, each one promoting the test taker in social class and eligibility for government jobs.
There are nine record types included in this collection:
- Palace examinations (with names)
- Anonymous palace examinations
- Palace examinations (by subject)
- Palace poetry examinations
- Palace Manchu language examinations
- Academy examinations
- Miscellaneous examinations
- Palace military examinations
- Imperial edicts and manuscripts
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
Reading These Records
These records are written in Chinese. For help reading them see:
- Wikipedia: Chinese Language
- Wikipedia: Chinese Characters
- Chinese Kinship Terms Table
- Western-Chinese Calendar Converter
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for China, Imperial Examinations and Related Papers (Han Yu-shan Collection). |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in this collection:
- Given name
- Family name
- Generation name
- Birth year
- Chinese birth year
- Birthplace
- Examination year
- Father/grandfather/great-grandfather's names
Collection Content
Sample Image
1646 Imperial Examination
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Collection Details
Language
Chinese, Manchu
Location of Original Records
The Rudolph East Asian Library, University of California, Los Angeles
"中國, 科舉考試及相關記錄 (韓玉山收藏), 1646-1904." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 21 May 2026. Citing The Rudolph East Asian Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
