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Family Background, Official Advancement, and Social Mobility of the Jiangsu Literati in the Qing Dynasty

The imperial examination system, which spanned over 1,300 years, exerted a profound influence on all aspects of traditional China, particularly regarding social mobility. Qin Jiang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University constructs a database of 6,486 licentiates (shengyuan) from Tongzhou and Haimen counties during the Qing Dynasty, based on the tradition of quantitative research into the social origins of examination candidates. He reveals that social mobility at the shengyuan level was higher than at the juren and jinshi levels. However, the competitive advantage of gentry families manifested in the probabilities and timing of advancement across all levels, effectively narrowing the promotion ladder.
In official careers, since entry into the bureaucracy required obtaining mid-to-high-level examination degrees, candidates from commoner families who crossed the examination threshold did not exhibit significantly lower entry rates compared to those from gentry or scholar-commoner (shengjian) families. Nonetheless, juren from gentry backgrounds were more likely to secure mid-to-high-ranking positions, including crucial posts like county magistrates, whereas those from commoner or shengyuan families tended to be appointed to roles such as county instructors (jiaoyu) or assistant instructors (xundao).
In this Quantitative History Webinar, Qin Jiang offers, for the first time, a comprehensive depiction of the examination and bureaucratic trajectories of Qing literati based on the complete cohort of students from two county schools. Qin Jiang will also demonstrate that while the examination system indeed provided avenues for social mobility, the influence of family background was more evident in elevating descendants to higher examination degrees. Such influence offered less direct advantage in bureaucratic appointments, though it continued to operate subtly. Finally, the webinar will also briefly compare the similarities and differences reflected in the shengyuan registries of Wuxi and Changshu with those of Nantong.

Discussant: Max Yu Hao, Associate Professor in Economics, Peking University

*This webinar will be conducted in Mandarin.

Date: January 29, 2026

Time: 16:00 – 17:30
16:00 (Hong Kong/Beijing/Singapore)
03:00 (New York)|00:00 (Los Angeles)|08:00 (London)|17:00 (Tokyo)|19:00 (Sydney)

Language: Mandarin
 

清代江蘇士人的家世、仕進與社會流動

科舉制綿延1300餘年，對傳統中國的方方面面產生了重大影響，其中科舉與社會流動的關係尤為惹人注目。 上海交通大學歷史系教授蔣勤利用量化方法研究科舉人物履歷的傳統，根據《通靜二庠題名錄》建立了清代南通和海門兩縣（學）6486名生員資料庫。 研究發現，在科場上，生員層次的社會流動性（階梯寬度）要高於舉人和進士層次，但士紳家庭的競爭優勢體現在各個層級的概率和通過時機上，晉陞階梯實際上在逐階地收窄。 在官場上，由於入仕以獲取中高級科名為前提，那些跨過科舉門檻的平民家庭士子們，在入仕率方面並不顯著低於生員、監生和士紳家庭出身者; 不過士紳家庭出身的舉人更易獲得中高級官職，且就任於州縣官等重要職位，而平民和生監家庭出身的舉人則更易就職於州縣教諭、訓導等學官。

在本次量化歷史網上講座，蔣勤將首次基於一個地區的生員總體，從科舉和仕途兩方面，提供一幅清代士人完整的科舉仕進圖，並且證明科舉確實提供了社會流動的空間，而家世影響更多體現在托舉子代通過科舉獲得更高科名，較難在入仕方面的作用提供直接説明，卻又隱蔽地起作用。 最後，講座還將簡單比較無錫、常熟兩地生員錄和南通生員錄所反映情況的異同。

The Quantitative History Lecture Series is substantially supported by the Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. [AoE/B-704/22-R]).

量化歷史網上講座系列由香港大學陳志武和馬馳騁教授聯合發起，旨在介紹前沿量化歷史研究成果、促進同仁交流，推廣量化方法在歷史研究中的應用。本系列講座由香港大學經管學院量化歷史研究中心和國際量化歷史學會承辦，及香港人文社會研究所全力支持。從2023年開始，系列得到中國香港特別行政區研究資助局卓越學科領域計劃的重要資助 (項目編號[AoE/B-704/22-R])。

Conveners:
Professor Zhiwu Chen
Professor Chicheng Ma