Girls were considered an expense to their birth families, since they only became valuable when they married and bore sons for their new families.
It’s surprising to see how girls were viewed mainly in terms of financial or family value rather than as individuals. This shows how unequal gender roles were in that society, since a girl’s worth completely relied on marriage and having sons instead of her own abilities or contributions.
Scholars would travel to testing centers and sit for exams that often took days to complete. They brought food and a bedroll and remained in their small testing cells until they had completed the exam. There were four increasingly-difficult levels of testing: County, District, Province, and Imperial.
I think this really shows how serious the system was, as leadership was restricted to those who demonstrated strict commitment. Only individuals who were truly dedicated and capable of rising to the upper class of Chinese society were able to rule.
Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” (Analects XV.24)
A dictionary published in 1039 CE listed 53,525 characters, and a 2004 Chinese dictionary included 106,230. Most Chinese words are made of one or more characters.
I find it very interesting that the number of Chinese characters has expanded so greatly over time, reflecting the depth and long history of development of the language.