晚清议改科举新探

A New Approach to the Discussion of the Reformation on the Imperial Examination in Late Qing Period

废除科举并非清统治者的初衷。迄道光至光绪,长达半个多世纪,议改科举的主流,多以讲求实学、增广科目、取材标准多样化为基本取向,希望以老树嫁接新枝的方法,激活科举制生机。朝臣疆吏们先后至少有18份以上要求增设科目的改革方案,正式奏呈清廷,最高执政者亦并多次谕令部院大臣讨论议复。由于整个统治集团的观念更新滞后,礼部等机构恪守夷夏之大防,阻挠变制,总理衙门鉴于反对派势大而采取等待姿态,经济特科的举办又一波三折,以虎头蛇尾告终,使得科举制失去了逐步内在更新的最佳时机,后起者不得不考虑除旧布新的彻底变革。

Abolishing the imperial examination was not the original intention of the Qing rulers. For more than half a century from Daoguang period to Guangxu period, the orientation of mainstream ideas concerning modifying the examination system was always on advocating pragmatism, adding subjects of learning, and diversifying the selection criteria. They dreamed to activate the system by importing new ideas. Under such circumstances, ministers nationwide had presented at least 18 copies of reform proposals. The executives also commanded ministers to discuss and reply for several times. As the conception of the whole governing group lagged behind, some institutions, such as Libu, scrupulously abided by the traditional conservative protocols and filibustered the reform. The opposition was so strong that the Zongli Yamun adopted the wait-and-see stance. The opening up of the Special Economic Office, which began with a flourish but petered out towards the end, was full of twists and turns. Therefore, the imperial examination system lost the optimal time to update itself, and the successors had to carry out a thorough transformation to get rid of the tradition.