The Examination Yuan of the Nationalist Government

Examination Yuan of the Nationalist Government

Nanjing Nationalist Government – At the eastern foot of Jilong Mountain and the southern shore of Xuanwu Lake, there is a massive courtyard complex facing south, originally located at No. 1 Shiyuan Road, now at Nos. 41 and 43 Beijing Road. Here, birds sing and flowers bloom in all four seasons, with exquisitely carved and painted classical-style buildings adorned with upturned eaves, arranged in an orderly and picturesque fashion. This is the former site of the Nationalist Government, now home to the Nanjing Municipal Committee of the CPC, Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, Nanjing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, and Nanjing Municipal People’s Congress.

– Covering an area of 103,589 square meters, construction began in 1930 and was completed by 1949, with a total built-up area of 8,277 square meters and a construction cost of over 600,000 yuan.

– The buildings are arranged along two parallel central axes, east and west. The eastern section includes the Pan Pond, the main gate, the Wumiao Hall (also known as Wude Building), Ningyuan Building, Hualin Pavilion, the library stack room, and Baozhang Pavilion. Pan Pond: Located directly in front of the main eastern gate, it is crescent-shaped, also called Crescent Moon Pond.

Main East Gate: Now serves as the entrance to the Nanjing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC. It has three arched gateways; the roof is a double-eaved hip-and-gable structure covered with green glazed tiles; the structure is reinforced concrete. The lower part of the gate imitates a Sumeru pedestal, while the upper beams, brackets, and eaves are all painted. During the Nationalist Government period, the plaque with the three golden characters “Examination Yuan” written by Dai Jitao hung between the double eaves above the central gate. Notably, the guards stationed at the gate were unique: they wore black uniforms, carried no guns, had no ammunition belts, but wore a sword at their waist, giving them an erudite and refined appearance. During the Wang Jingwei puppet regime, the central gateway bore the seal script horizontal plaque “Peaceful Nation-Building,” and a vertical sign “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” hung between the double eaves.

Wumiao Hall: Also known as the Temple of Martial Sages. Established as one of the Ten Temples in the early Ming Dynasty, it was named for enshrining Guan Yu. Originally built in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign (1394). During the Qing Dynasty, it was converted into the Jiangning Prefecture School, destroyed in the flames of war during the Xianfeng era; in the Tongzhi era, the Jiangning Prefecture School moved to Chaotian Palace, and the Wumiao was rebuilt on the ruins. The reconstructed Wumiao complex included Pan Pond, the main gate, the main hall, rear hall, side halls, and corridors. The existing Wumiao main hall stands on a tall bluestone platform, featuring a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, brick-and-wood structure, spanning seven bays (24 meters wide) and nine rafters deep (16 meters). Red doors, red pillars, and red windows with green glazed tile roofing. During the Republican period, the interior was modified into two floors: the first floor served as the grand hall for the Examination Yuan, while the second floor housed offices of the Examination Yuan’s Personnel Department. In 1982, it was designated as a Nanjing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On the front and rear sides of the Wumiao Hall, there are two two-story antique-style hip-and-gable buildings, both of brick-and-wood structure, connected by small wooden-eaved verandas forming two quadrangle courtyards, one to the north and one to the south. These were the offices of the Secretariat, Advisory Bureau, and the Personnel Department of the Examination Yuan. They are now office buildings for units such as the Nanjing Grain Bureau.

Ningyuan Building: Constructed in May 1931 and completed by the end of that year. It is a two-story brick-concrete structure with a mountain-shaped floor plan, a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with small tiles. It served as the office building for the Examination Yuan, where the office “Dai Xian Guan” (Hall for Awaiting the Wise) of Dean Dai Jitao was located. Due to the small number of candidates admitted in the first session of the Higher Civil Service Examination, Dai Jitao once hosted a banquet and met with them in Dai Xian Guan. After the establishment of the Wang puppet Nationalist Government, this building became the office of Wang Jingwei. It was demolished around 1996, and a new two-story antique-style building was constructed on the original site as the office building of the Nanjing Municipal Committee of the CPC.

Hualin Pavilion: Located north of Ningyuan Building, it was originally the library stack room of the Examination Yuan. Facing west and positioned eastward, it is three stories high, rectangular in plan, of brick-and-wood structure with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof. It now serves as the office building of the Nanjing Municipal Administrative Affairs Management Bureau.

Baozhang Pavilion: Situated directly north of Hualin Pavilion. Built in 1934, it functioned as the archives repository of the Examination Yuan, storing examination papers, civil service appointment and dismissal registers, and other archival materials. Three stories high, it has a reinforced concrete structure with a flat roof and a central tower on the roof. The facade is simple, reflecting Western modernist architectural style; however, the layout and detailing incorporate traditional Chinese architectural features, such as symmetrical design, bracket decorations, and a pyramidal roof tower, exemplifying classical Chinese architecture.

The western section includes the main gate, the Stele Pavilion of the Illustration of Confucius Inquiring About Rites, Mingzhi Building, Hengjian Building, and Gongming Hall.

West Main Gate: Now serves as the entrance to the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government. It is a three-bay traditional Chinese paifang-style (memorial archway) structure, made of reinforced concrete, with the central bay taller and wider, flanked by slightly narrower and lower side bays. The column capitals are adorned with traditional Chinese cloud motifs. The base of the paifang is embraced by two stone drums. The entire structure is solemn and dignified. The central plaque bears the four large characters “Seeking the Wise for the Country” (alternatively said to be “The World Belongs to All”) written by Dai Jitao. On either side of the gate stand two white marble lions on Sumeru pedestals, also made of white marble, with finely carved patterns. During the Wang puppet regime, the central plaque was changed to read “Nationalist Government.” In 1998, the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government renovated the West Main Gate, adding two more entrances on either side of the original three-bay paifang, thus creating a five-bay layout.

Stele Pavilion of the Illustration of Confucius Inquiring About Rites: Upon entering the West Main Gate, you will see a hexagonal pavilion—Qingli Pavilion—with a stele standing at its center—the Illustration of Confucius Inquiring About Rites Stele. It was built by Dai Jitao in emulation of Confucius’ act of inquiring about rites. The pavilion no longer exists, but the stele remains. In 1988, the stele was relocated and preserved inside the Dacheng Gate of the Confucius Temple.

Mingzhi Building: Built in 1933, it served as the main examination hall and the central building of the Examination Yuan. Mingzhi Building is a mock Ming-Qing palace-style structure, built with reinforced concrete, featuring a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with green glazed tiles, with painted brackets, eaves, and beams. The central part has two floors above ground and one underground, with a spacious concrete platform in front surrounded by carved cement balustrades; the east and west sides have one and a half floors above ground and half a floor underground. The plaque hanging under the eaves displays the vertical characters “Mingzhi Building.” The lintel above the entrance porch bears a horizontal plaque inscribed with the eight characters “Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, Righteousness, Faith, Love, Peace.” Renovated in the 1990s, the central part now serves as the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government auditorium, the western part houses meeting rooms, and the eastern part is used for receiving foreign guests. Another renovation was carried out in March 1999.

Hengjian Building: Office building of the Examination Committee. This is a Western-style building, brick-concrete structure, with three floors in the central part and two floors on both sides, a flat roof, and a colonnaded canopy at the entrance. The overall building is simply designed. It was demolished in 1997, and the current Nanjing Municipal People’s Government office building stands on the original site.

Gongming Hall: Used by the Examination and Assisting Examination Committees for grading examination papers. Three stories high, with a flat roof and a simple design. It was demolished in 1998, and the current Nanjing Municipal People’s Congress office building stands on the original site.

The architectural complex of the Examination Yuan of the Nationalist Government is meticulously planned, exquisitely built, blending old and new structures harmoniously. The interplay between the buildings and the surrounding landscaped gardens creates a delightful atmosphere. In 1991, it was recognized as one of the outstanding modern architectures by the Ministry of Construction and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. In 1992, it was listed as a Nanjing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In July 2001, it was further designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.