The Center on Chinese Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, warmly invites students, faculty, and scholars to a symposium titled “Education, Meritocracy and Equity: The Chinese Imperial Examination Tradition and Its Contemporary Implications.” 

This event will feature distinguished guests from the Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum of China, including museum leaders and scholars whose work bridges educational history, cultural heritage, museum education, and contemporary educational thought.

Event Information:

Symposium: Education, Meritocracy, and Equity: The Chinese Imperial Examination Tradition and Its Contemporary Implications

📅 Date: Tuesday, April 21st, 2026

🕓Time:  3:00-5:00 P.M. EST

📍Location: GDH 179, Teachers College, Columbia University

Event Description:

Centered on the Chinese imperial examination system, the event will explore the historical and contemporary significance of China’s imperial examination system. As one of the most influential institutions in Chinese educational and political history, the imperial examination system shaped ideas of merit, social mobility, and public service for centuries. Its influence also extended beyond China, informing examination-based selection systems in other Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and contributing, in a broader historical sense, to the development of modern civil service recruitment in different regions of the world.

Bringing together perspectives from museum practice, educational history, and contemporary educational development, the program invites participants to think across time and across cultures: how institutions shape society, how examinations influence education, and how ideas of fairness and inclusion evolve in response to changing historical contexts.

The event is free and open to the public. 

🎟️ Registration is required.  Please fill out this form to register.