Describe the examination system in China. 

The Examination System:

i. Entry to the elite ruling class (about 1.1 million till 1850) had been largely through an examination. This required writing an eight-legged essay in classical Chinese in a prescribed form.
ii. The examination was held twice every three years, at different levels and of those allowed to sit only 1-2 percent passed the first level, usually at the age of 24, to become what was called ‘beautiful talent’.
iii. At any given time before 1850, there were about 526,869 civil and 212,330 military provincials (sheng yuan) degree holders in the whole country. Since there were only 27,000 official positions, many lower-level degree holders did not have jobs.
iv. The examination acted as a barrier to the development of science and technology as it demanded only literary skills. In 1905, it was abolished as it was based on skills in classical Chinese learning that had, it was felt, no relevance for the modern world.