Guozijian, also known as Taixue and Guoxue, is the highest institution of learning in ancient China, mainly responsible for cultivating national leaders and scholars. Guozijian originated in Biyong in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and went through the evolution of the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and other dynasties, until the abolition of the imperial examination system in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, and the Guozijian gradually declined. In the history of ancient Chinese education, Guozijian has a pivotal position and has had a profound impact on the spread and development of ancient Chinese culture.
The main task of Guozijian is to select and train national leaders and scholars. The selection process is divided into the Township Examination, the General Examination, and the Palace Examination. The township examination is presided over by the local **, and outstanding local students are selected;The examination is attended by students selected from various provinces, and outstanding provincial students are selectedThe palace examination is the highest level of examination, which is presided over by the emperor himself and selects the best students. The students selected through this ** examination are called "Jinshi", which is the highest honor in ancient Chinese society.
The content of Guozijian's education mainly includes knowledge of Confucian classics, history, literature, law, military affairs, etc. The Confucian classics are the core content of Guozijian education, including the Five Classics such as the Book of Songs, the Book of Songs, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Period, as well as the four books of the Analects, Mencius, the University, and the Mean. These classics are considered to be the essence of Confucianism and are the basic knowledge that the state and scholars must master.
Guozijian's teaching methods are mainly lectures and debates. Lectures are where the teacher imparts knowledge to the students, and debates are discussions and debates between students about a certain issue. This teaching method aims to develop students' thinking and presentation skills, so that they can apply what they have learned to solve problems in real work.
The students of Guozijian are divided into inner and outer students. Neishesheng is a full student of Guozijian and enjoys certain benefits and privileges;Outside students are informal students who do not have the treatment and privileges of inner students. There is a big difference in status between the inner and outer students, but they both have the opportunity to pass the exam and be promoted to the inner house.
Guozijian has a pivotal position in the history of education in ancient China. It has not only cultivated a large number of outstanding talents for the country, but also had a profound impact on the spread and development of ancient Chinese culture. Many famous literati and writers have studied in Guozijian, such as Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty, Su Shi in the Song Dynasty, and Yang Shen in the Ming Dynasty. During their studies in Guozijian, they not only accumulated a wealth of knowledge, but also made many like-minded friends, which laid the foundation for their future literary creation and social activities.