The ancient name for the examination room
The most common one is "Gongyuan". In addition, there are also titles such as "Examination Yuan", "Examination Site", "Examination Yard", "Temple", "Fang" etc.
1. Introduction to Gongyuan
The Gongyuan system first began in the Tang Dynasty. There are existing sites such as Jiangnan Gongyuan, Beijing Gongyuan, Dingzhou Gongyuan, and North Sichuan Gongyuan. Among them, Nanjing Jiangnan Gongyuan is the largest imperial examination center in ancient China. Famous.
Beijing's Gongyuan was built in the 13th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty. It has five gates, called "Dragon Gate", which means the carp jumps over the dragon gate. There is a horizontal plaque on the middle three gates with the inscription "Tiankaiwen". "Yun", the east title is "Ming Jing Recruiting Scholars", and the west title is "Seeking Talents for the Country". Along the middle road in Gongyuan, there are mainly Mingyuan Tower, Gongtang, Jukui Pavilion and Huijing Hall and other buildings.
2 , The layout of Gongyuan
Historically, the main gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan was a three-column gate with a wooden structure and a central passage for pedestrians. The two sides of the main gate were usually closed with five rooms. On the middle door was a black inscription "Gongyuan". There is a pair of stone lions on the left forehead and a pair of stone lions on the right forehead. There are two memorial arches on both sides, with the words: "Ming Jing Recruiting Scholars" and "Seeking Talents for the Country".
Jiangnan Gongyuan is the largest imperial examination center in China. It was once overwhelmed by too many candidates. It has expanded its scale several times in history. Due to the constraints of the Qinhuai River, the Confucius Temple and the Academy, its center of gravity has gradually moved eastward. , eventually forming an irregular fan shape. This shape is unique among many Gongyuan.
Except for the Jiangnan Gongyuan, all the others are in regular rectangular or square shapes. People have a misunderstanding that Jiangnan Gongyuan has always been square before the late Qing Dynasty. However, as the number of candidates increased, Jiangnan Gongyuan continued to expand and formed an irregular fan shape.
3. Celebrities
Historical celebrities such as Tang Bohu, Zheng Banqiao, Wen Tianxiang, Wu Jingzi, Yuan Mei, Lin Zexu, Shi Naian, Fang Bao, Deng Tingzhen, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Chen Duxiu, etc. are all candidates or examiners of Jiangnan Gongyuan. . Liu Chunlin, China’s last number one scholar, also came from this.