The Temple That Was Built for Exam-Takers

The Chen Clan Academy: A Temple Built for Exam-Takers

On Zhongshan 7th Road in Guangzhou, there is a building called the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. Its real name is the Chen Clan Academy. The name sounds like a school, and in fact its purpose was tied to study and exams.

Its connection to the imperial exam system was direct. In the Qing dynasty, students of the Chen clan from all over Guangdong traveled to Guangzhou to sit the provincial exam. They needed a place to stay. The Chen Clan Academy was built for that purpose. Construction began in 1888, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, and was completed in 1893 — seven years in total. It was funded by Chen clan members from 72 counties across Guangdong, which is why it is also called a "joint clan hall."

The reason it was built on such a grand scale is that the Chen surname had the largest population in Guangdong. There is a saying: "In the empire, the Li; in Guangdong, the Chen." In Guangdong, the Chen surname was — and still is — the largest. More people meant more donations, and more donations meant a bigger hall.

From the provincial exam to the palace exam: a road that went upward

The imperial exam was not a single test. It was taken in stages.

The first stage: the provincial exam, held in the provincial capital. Only xiucai (students who had passed the preliminary exam) were eligible. Those who passed were called juren. The top scorer was called jieyuan. The second stage: the capital exam, held in Beijing. Juren traveled to the capital to sit it. Those who passed were called gongshi. The top scorer was called huiyuan. The third stage: the palace exam, presided over by the emperor himself. Gongshi sat it. Those who passed were collectively called jinshi. The top scorer was the zhuangyuan. The Chen Clan Academy served the first stage. Chen students from across the province came to Guangzhou to sit the provincial exam. They stayed here — to prepare, to wait, to see their results. In 1905, the 31st year of Guangxu's reign, the imperial exam system was abolished. The academy was converted into the Chen Clan Industrial School.

Two stories, and one number

Two details about the Chen Clan Academy are often mentioned.

The first is the year it was completed. It is said that in the year the academy was finished, a man from Guangdong named Chen Botao passed the imperial exam as tanhua — the third-place finisher in the palace exam, chosen directly by the emperor. Guangdong produced very few tanhua and zhuangyuan in history, so a stone drum was placed at the entrance of the hall to commemorate this.

The second is its scale. The Chen Clan Academy is known as the "finest ancestral hall in Lingnan." It is the largest and best-preserved ancestral hall complex in the Lingnan region. Today it is the Guangdong Folk Art Museum, established in 1959.

As for the size of the Chen surname: sources give two figures. One says it makes up about 4.53% of the Han Chinese population, or more than 54 million people. Another says the Chen surname ranks fifth in the country. Either way, in Guangdong, the Chen surname is the largest — there is no dispute about that.