1890 Photograph of the Examination Hall, Canton (Guanzhou) and Belawan River Bridge, Sumatra
Examination Hall. -Canton-. / Bridge over the Rutla Delhi River. -Sumatra-.
Imperial Civil Service Examinations in Guangzhou.
$750.00
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Imperial Civil Service Examinations in Guangzhou.
A striking c. 1890 photo of the Examination Hall of Guangzhou (Canton), China. Guangzhou Examination Hall (貢院; Gongyuan Provincial Examination Hall). The image presents a long paved path leading to the main building; to either side are the testing cubicles, each identified by a Chinese character. The meaning of the characters along the sides of the examination stalls is not immediately clear, though the most legible string at right (海河鱗...島人始文乃衣推讓有陶坐問垂) closely resembles a portion of a novel included in the 12th volume of the compendium Selected Notes on Novels from Past Dynasties (歷代小說筆記選). The message would assuredly be meant to reiterate Confucian values in one form or another. The imperial exams, an ancient Confucian-inspired system to determine education and suitability for prestigious civil service positions within the Chinese Empire, were abolished in 1905.The verso features a photo of a long iron railway bridge in northern Sumatra, near Medan. This is almost certainly the historic railway bridge over the Belawan River, constructed by the Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (Deli Railway Company, DSM).
Publication History and Census
This image was taken by an unknown photographer, c. 1890. We have identified no other examples.Condition
Very good. Image represents recto (front) and verso (back) of single card.