All countries are demanding that the Chinese government suspend all exams in the areas where the Boxer Rebellion occurred for five years, and that's quite reasonable. If China really does so, it could have a positive effect. Because in the past, most incidents of anti-foreigner sentiment in China were planned by intellectuals, and it was the common people who were punished afterwards, while the real culprits escaped punishment, which is really frustrating! Therefore, if a way can be found to punish only the intellectuals without dragging in the common folks, that would be the best solution. This five-year exam suspension seems to be the goal. However, upon closer examination, it looks like it’ll be tough for all countries to have their way. Why do I say this?
China's examination system has a process. First, the county officials conduct exams, recommending those who perform well to the prefecture, where they're tested again. Those who excel are recommended to the academy for further screening. Those who pass are called xiucai, and xiucai can participate in the provincial exam to become a juren. After becoming a juren, they can go to the capital to participate in the imperial exam, and those who pass are called jinshi. This is the general situation of China's examination system. The people who participated in opposing foreigners this time are either jinshi or juren, and if they're not juren, they're xiucai. It is unheard of for someone without official status to incite the common people to support them. Now, all the prefectures and counties where the Boxer incidents occurred are required to suspend exams, but it doesn’t really affect jinshi, juren, or xiucai. At first, this approach seems to work, but looking closer, it's really ineffective. That is why I say it will be difficult for all countries to have their way.
Ah, exams are a significant matter in China, and now that foreigners have ordered the suspension of exams, the pride of Chinese scholars might need to be checked. On the surface, suspending exams is a warning to scholars, but in reality, it hits merchants too. Think about it, every exam fills the provincial and county towns with scholars, which benefits the merchants. So, scholars will likely try to stop the exam suspension, and I bet merchants will back them up too.
China is now reluctantly agreeing to the demands of foreigners, but if they are unwilling to comply in the future, what options do foreigners have? I guess their only option might be to use military force to seize land and intimidate. However, this tactic is frowned upon by all nations and will only be used as a last resort. In case students from counties where exams are suspended try to find ways to take exams in other counties or participate in provincial exams in the capital city by pretending to be from a county where exams are not suspended, it would be quite a challenge for countries to find a way to close this loophole! And that's not all! The exam regulations from all countries state: "Exams will be suspended in any areas experiencing disturbances." This statement is too vague. The intention of all countries is probably to suspend exams for five years in all areas where exams such as the county exams, provincial exams, and metropolitan exams are held in areas where disturbances occur. However, the Chinese interpret this quite differently. They believe that the exam suspension only applies to county exams and not provincial or metropolitan exams. They think that provincial exams are for scholars from the entire province and metropolitan exams are for scholars from the entire country. If provincial and metropolitan exams are also suspended, then areas that protect foreigners will be punished along with the areas where disturbances occur. What’s the difference between the honest folks in the south and those who protect criminals in the north? This is definitely not what any country wants to see! This is how they think, but the Chinese officials in charge are concerned about the exam suspension, so they say, "If the handling is too severe, it may lead to trouble." Therefore, Li Hongzhang and governors from the southeast plan to suspend exams nationwide for five years in order to revise the old examination regulations and allow all students in the country to focus on studying practical knowledge. Upon careful consideration, their real aim is just to save face for the Chinese government! Therefore, it is rumored everywhere that the Empress Dowager has agreed to the governors' request to suspend exams nationwide for five years. However, the government’s plan to revise the old exam regulations and encourage everyone to study practical subjects as exam standards is left unmentioned. From this, we can infer the Empress Dowager's intentions.
Even if the news of the nationwide suspension of exams for five years is true, all countries should agree to this. However, it is essential to require the Chinese government to revise the examination materials. This approach offers numerous benefits, and young Chinese students will surely be pleased to hear this. Therefore, if this method can be implemented, while it may appear that foreigners are using the exam suspension to penalize those causing trouble, in reality, it could help dispel ignorance among the Chinese people, transform superstition into a quest for scientific understanding, and replace the fear of ghosts and deities with a sense of integrity. As a result, animosity towards foreigners will likely diminish over time! Isn't this more beneficial than just suspending exams in troublemaking areas?
Currently, there are numerous detrimental habits among the Chinese population, and five years will certainly not suffice to completely change their mindset. However, if all countries genuinely assist the enlightened officials in advancing this initiative, then within these five years, a foundation for practical learning can also be established. The future achievements will undoubtedly be as impressive as those Japan attained in its first thirty years!
