清代科举的社会流动性——基于学额的研究

The Social Mobility of Imperial Examination in the Qing Dynasty——A Study Based on the Quota System

科举的社会流动性问题,是学界一直广泛讨论的话题,特别是自1962年何炳棣先生指出清代平均社会流动率为38.5%,之后学界不断讨论,支持与质疑者均有之。文章认为清代科举制度理论上是一个开放性的制度,非“贱民”都可以与试应考,平民当然可能通过科举实现社会阶层的跃升。但何炳棣的研究主要是利用明清进士登科录及会试、乡试同年齿录所载家族信息进行统计分析,数量更为广大的生员(秀才)、童生排除在外,只能统计到已经实现社会流动的那一部人,统计对象被筛选了,这会导致统计的清代社会流动上升率被夸大。若从最基层的学额制度来看,学额制度设置的目的主要是培养基层绅士(生员)而非选拔人才,童生求学和应考需要高昂的经济成本,一般平民家族难以承受,再加上童试极低的录取率,诸多穷童生读书只是为了识字,并非参加科举,清代社会流动性并不会太高。

The social mobility of the imperial examination has been a topic widely discussed in the academic circles.In 1962,Ping-ti Ho pointed out that the imperial examination gave civilians a good opportunity to rise.The average social mobility rate in the Qing Dynasty was 38.5%.After that,scholars continued to discuss it,both supporters and skeptics.This paper holds that the imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty was theoretically an open system,civilians can certainly realize the leap of social class through the imperial examination.However,Ping-ti Ho mainly only used the family information contained in the Jinshi Dengkelu and Xiangshi Tongnianchilu for statistical analysis.A larger number of Tongsheng were excluded.Only the people who had realized the real social mobility could be counted,and the statistical objects were screened,which would lead to the exaggeration of the statistical rise rate of social mobility in the Qing Dynasty.From the design of the quota system in the Qing Dynasty,the purpose of the quota system was mainly to cultivate grass-roots gentlemen rather than select talents.Tongsheng's study and examination need high economic costs,which was difficult for ordinary civilian families.In addition,with the extremely low admission rate of Tongsheng examination,many poor children read only for literacy,not for the imperial examination.Therefore,the social mobility in the Qing Dynasty was not too high.