Statues of famous figures who took keju are displayed at the China Imperial Examination Museum at its opening on Aug 11 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ever wonder how ancient Chinese took a "college entrance exam"? Now a special museum on China's Imperial Examination is open in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

The China Imperial Examination Museum based on the site of an ancient examination hall and displays the customs, tools and life related to keju (Imperial Examination System). The underground has a special exhibition on keju culture including its history, rules and, related famous figures' statues.

Keju is a kind of examination system from ancient times, through which officials were examined and selected. It was first adopted in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and lasted through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Intellectuals who wanted to be officials had to take multi-tier examinations.

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