Gongyuan Qianggen Street

Gongyuan Qianggen Street

Jinan was a gathering place for county, prefectural, and provincial government offices, and it housed large Confucian temples, examination halls (Gongyuan), as well as various academies, private schools, charity schools, and public schools. These educational institutions were relatively concentrated on the quiet and serene southern shore of Daming Lake. Among them, the Gongyuan was the venue for the provincial and metropolitan imperial examinations. Originally, it had a main gate with three bays, flanked by east and west side gates. The gates were adorned with two memorial archways inscribed with “Selecting Scholars through the Classics” and “Seeking Virtuous Talent for the Nation,” symbolizing the fairness and integrity of the imperial examination system. The second gate was called the Dragon Gate, and upon entering, one would see the Hall of Supreme Justice, where the chief examiners and their staff worked. Behind the Hall of Supreme Justice stood the Mingyuan Tower, the highest point in the entire compound, from which exam supervisors, invigilators, and inspectors could oversee the candidates from above during examinations. On both sides of the hall and tower were the examination cubicles where test-takers were confined once inside. Candidates lived, ate, and took their exams in these small cells, which remained locked until the day the papers were submitted. By the Guangxu era, there were as many as 10,000 such examination cubicles. In addition to the Gongyuan, the area also hosted the “Office of the Provincial Education Commissioner,” the highest education authority at the provincial level during the Qing Dynasty. After the Xinhai Revolution, it was repurposed as the office of the Jinan Dao Administrator and the Shandong Provincial Affairs Bureau. After 1928, it became the site of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education. Furthermore, during the Republican era, this street was home to several notable institutions, including the Provincial No. 1 Experimental Primary School, the Provincial Experimental Theater, the Provincial People’s Education Hall, the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, and the Provincial Jinan Junior High School. Deng Enming, a representative of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, was a former student of the original Provincial No. 1 Middle School. Heading east from the northern end of the street leads to the Shandong Provincial Library. The long, high wall on the west side of Gongyuan Qianggen Street evokes a sense of awe and mystery about the “Gongyuan” hidden behind it. Although the buildings on the east and west sides are not symmetrical, they still present a harmonious aesthetic. Today, however, the charm of the past is hard to find. Historical Background: The eastern and northern parts of the compound of the Shandong Provincial People’s Government, extending to the “Xia Garden” within Daming Lake Park, were the sites of the imperial examination halls during the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as the Gongyuan. This street derives its name from being located outside the eastern wall of the Gongyuan. During the Ming Dynasty, it was called Gongyuan Lane; in the Qing Dynasty, it was known as Yunlu Street, and later renamed Gongyuan Qianggen Street. The 1640 edition (with supplements from 1722) of the Licheng County Annals under the section “Construction Records” states: “Gongyuan Lane: north of the Four Archways.” The 1771 Licheng County Annals under the same section note: “The Gongyuan is located east of the Provincial Administration Commission. It was built in the early Hongwu era and renovated in the 19th year of the Chenghua era.” It also mentions: “Yunlu Street: previously recorded in old annals as Gongyuan Lane, north of the Four Archways.” The 1934 Jinan Municipal Government Urban Survey Report refers to it as “Gongyuan Qianggen Street.”