ZhaoHua Examination Shed

ZhaoHua Examination Shed

The ZhaoHua Examination Shed is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The ZhaoHua Examination Shed served as a testing site for the county-level (for the four counties of ZhaoHua, Guangyuan, Qingchuan, and Jiange in Sichuan) children’s examination (tongshi) and prefectural examination (fushi). Built in the 18th year of the Daoguang reign (1838 AD), it provided 332 examination seats. On non-exam days, it functioned as an academy for students.

As an official government building, the front courtyard was equipped with a screen wall, serving both shielding and fengshui purposes.

The layout of the examination court features a north-south central axis in a step-like ascending arrangement, symbolizing continuous promotion and progress.

The Chief Examiner oversaw the entire examination session, grading, and candidate selection, fulfilling these duties independently with security and daily services provided by the local government office. The children’s examination (tongshi) was overseen by the county magistrate, the prefectural examination (fushi) by officials dispatched from the prefecture, and the academy examination (yuanshi) by delegates from the Provincial Education Commissioner's Office. The Chief Examiner was responsible for re-reviewing and screening the preliminary candidate lists submitted by the examiners, verifying and finalizing the rankings, and submitting them for approval and public announcement.

The Vice Chief Examiner was appointed by the county, prefecture, or provincial government offices for the county, prefectural, and academy examinations respectively. They assisted the Chief Examiner in managing examination operations, compiling candidate rosters, encoding and encrypting examination papers, distributing and collecting test papers during the exams. They also helped the section examiners with grading, assisted the Chief Examiner in reviewing examination papers and determining final rankings, and held certain adjudicative powers.

The Inspectors were officials dispatched by higher authorities such as the prefecture or provincial government. Their role was to supervise the examination site and procedures. They reported directly to those authorities and supervised the Chief Examiner mutually, without being under their jurisdiction.

The Section Examiners were selected by higher authorities such as the prefecture or provincial government from among individuals with the status of Juren (successful candidates in the imperial provincial examinations) or reputable scholars. Typically possessing higher status than their assigned roles, they were responsible for grading examination papers. For the county, prefectural, and academy examinations, they graded one session at a time, marking papers in red ink and signing their names. They would circulate the best papers, co-sign reviewed results, and report them to the Vice Chief Examiner and Chief Examiner for further review, ranking, and final approval.

The Paper Custodians were officials delegated by county, prefecture, or provincial authorities. They oversaw the receiving, safekeeping, and distribution of examination papers. External paper custodians handled the collection of candidates’ test papers, whereas internal paper custodians assigned the papers to respective section examiners.

The Outer Invigilators were officials from the county, prefecture, or provincial levels who supervised the examination venue and reported any violations. They were accountable to the Chief Examiner and Inspectors.

The Inner Invigilators were appointed by county, prefecture, or provincial authorities. They monitored the grading process and were accountable to the Chief Examiner and Inspectors.

The Examination Cubicles were individual testing compartments for each candidate. The conditions in the ZhaoHua Examination Court (Examination Shed) were relatively better.