Latest Local Civil Confucian Examination in Tonkin - The Nam Dinh Case

Abstract

This article another tries to illustrate the general picture of the one of the latest local civil Confucian examination of the feudal system in Tonkin through the case study - The Nam Dinh case - that are approached from the aspects of its history, changes of examination, time of organization, activities related to bureaucratic situations and candidates... Because of certain similar remarks among Confucian examinations at localities under the Nguyen time, basing on the descriptions in this article that helped readers to overview on local Confucian examinations at the time. Not only pointing out generally the ordinary exams, the analyses and statistics in the article, and through Nam Dinh case study, the historical sources and documents written in the French domination keeping at the National Archival Centre N01, but the author also draws partly the educational situation of the Confucian examinations in the Nguyen time, and its changes under the impacts of the French Government and for further viewing that were the transformations on culture, society in Vietnam in the late of 19th century - early of 20th century.