翰林院 | |||||||
Active | 708 CE Tang dynasty, reign of Emperor Xuanzong– (June 23, 1900 set on fire by the Gansu Braves) Shut down following the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 | ||||||
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Founder | Emperor Xuanzong | ||||||
Location | |||||||
Chinese name | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 翰林院 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 翰林院 | ||||||
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The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. It has also been translated as "College of Literature" and "Academy of the Forest of Pencils."[1]
Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its primary duties was to decide on an interpretation of the Chinese classics. This formed the basis of the Imperial examinations, which aspiring government bureaucrats had to pass to attain higher-level government posts. Painters working for the court were also attached to the academy.[2]