1September, 905, Zhang Zhidong, Yuan Shikai, Zhao Erxun, Zhou Fu, Cen Chunxuan, Duan Fang, who were important officials in the late Qing Dynasty, made a speech to the governor, demanding the abolition of the imperial examination and the establishment of modern schools. Faced with the opinions of so many ministers, the Qing court issued an order in the same month to abolish the imperial examination system from 1906. At that time, people once said, "On its importance, it is tantamount to abolishing feudalism and opening up the atmosphere first", which shows its far-reaching influence on China society. As a system of selecting officials, the imperial examination began in the Sui Dynasty. Prior to this, the selection of officials and talents went through various systems, such as training scholars, military achievements, pedigree, family status, recommendation and integrity, but these systems all had many disadvantages. The invention of the imperial examination system eliminated the interference of power to the maximum extent and ensured the fairness and justice of selecting officials. Another important function of the imperial examination system is to maintain the mobility of social strata and let the "bottom" rise to the "top" through hard examinations. The so-called "Tian Shelang in the morning, the emperor at night" is not without exaggeration, but it is an image reflection of this fluidity. This mobility is an important condition for social fairness and stability. But the imperial examination system certainly has its drawbacks. One is that the examination content is narrow and single, more and more stylized and formatted, and finally forms "stereotyped writing". The content of the exam is nothing more than four books and five classics. You can only take notes for "sages" and you can't cross the line. These really imprison people's hearts. Before modern times, there were severe criticisms of the imperial examination system. Another important drawback of the imperial examination system is the "official standard", and the purpose of education and learning is only to be an official. Therefore, knowledge that has nothing to do with scientific research is regarded as a "metaphysical tool" and a "strange skill and cunning" that gentlemen despise. There are many complicated reasons for the underdevelopment of natural science in China, but the imperial examination is undoubtedly an important factor. Since China entered modern times, it has to face the transformation of social modernization. "Learning from foreigners to control foreigners" is the forerunner of this social change. The proposer of this slogan may not realize that it actually means that natural science knowledge, such as sound, light, electricity and culture, which are despised by traditional scholars in China, will replace Confucian classics as an important part of education. The Westernization School, which practiced "learning from foreigners", began to set up "new schools". Although there are many obstacles, the needs of society make the new school develop from slow to urgent. At the same time, the influence and scale of the new school run by the church are growing. During the Reform Movement of 1898, the reformists shouted loudly: "Schools are places for survival, waste, ignorance and wisdom, weakness and strength, and coherence." Although the reformists thought that the imperial examination should be abolished, due to strong opposition, they only proposed to change the content of the imperial examination from "stereotyped writing" to "strategy theory" close to reality. In the 20th century, not only were there more and more new schools, but also a large number of international students appeared. Although the number is still small, the development speed is amazing, and the abolition of the imperial examination has actually come naturally. Zhang Zhidong and others are not radical. They proposed to abolish the imperial examination, which was approved by Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress Dowager Cixi opposed changing the contents of the imperial examination several years ago, which proved that the abolition of the imperial examination was the result of the natural evolution of historical and social development, not the result of artificial radicalism as some people now say. Although the imperial examination has been abolished for a hundred years, its objectivity, fairness and justice in examination and talent selection are still worth learning and inheriting. When improper power cannot be restricted, only strict examination is the fairest, which provides the possibility of changing the fate for the "bottom". Although the shortcomings are obvious, there is no choice.