明代科举配额制度变动中的地域利益之争

Changes in the Quota System of the Imperial Examination of the Ming Dynasty and the Contest of Local Interests

自北宋以来,随着科举制的发展和考试程序的完善,科举成为两宋以及明清士人入仕的基本路径。在明代,地区取得高级科名进士的数量成为衡量相应地区政治影响的指标。由于区域文化发展不平衡因素的作用,科举所取之士中南人多、北人少的现象在明代依然存在。为此,仁宣时期推出了科举配额制度,意欲通过配额录取的方式实现区域间科名分布的相对均衡。由于明廷重进士的用人倾向和士大夫浓重地域意识等因素的作用,在配额制度变动尤其是关乎进士科名的会试卷区比例变动的过程中,掺入了权力者出于乡梓利益考虑的人为因素。配额及其制度变动中的地域之争是明代政治领域经常存在的地域性因素潜在作用的投影和反映。

With the development of the imperial examination system and the improvement of the examination procedures,attending the imperial examinations had become the basic path of entering the official career since the Northern Song Dynasty.In the Ming dynasty,the number of high degree laureates in the imperial examination had become an indicator to measure the extent of local people’s participation in politics.Due to the imbalance of regional cultural development,more southerners won out in the examination system than the northerners in the Song and Ming dynasties.With regards to this,during the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming dynasty,a quota system was launched to ensure a relatively balanced distribution of the number of examination winners among different regions.Jinshi,whose qualification was basically decided in the metropolitan examination,was highly valued in the Ming dynasty.The quota system for the metropolitan examination which established certain quotas for different exam regions was influenced by powerholders out of their strong awareness of local interests,which was also a reflection of how regional factors worked in Ming politics.