[Collection Name]: Withdrawal of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Policy Examination Paper

[Historical Era]: Late Qing Dynasty

[Collection Size]: Horizontal 95 cm, Vertical 31.5 cm

This collection is an old collection of the Hai'an City Museum and contains the imperial examination papers of the late Qing Dynasty. The collection is basically complete in appearance, with adhesions on the front side of the test paper. The handwriting is in the standard imperial examination style, with neat and beautiful paper faces and precise and elegant fonts.

At the beginning of the paper, it is stated that "there are similarities and differences in criminal laws between China and foreign countries, and since trade between different ports has become increasingly frequent, how should negotiations take into account gains and losses and establish proper regulations", and then relevant strategies for the country to regain extraterritoriality are proposed.

Since the Opium War, the western powers have seized China's extraterritorial jurisdiction through unequal treaties, and the Chinese judicial authorities have no actual jurisdiction over crimes committed by foreigners in China, forming a deformed situation of "foreigners are not subject to China's punishment, while Chinese are opposed to judging foreign countries", and national sovereignty is deeply damaged. As stated in the theory of strategy, 'Wherever merchants reside, they are governed by the local authorities... Chinese and foreigners may have similar offenses, but the severity of the law varies.'.

This collection serves as a tangible witness to the interweaving of the imperial examination system and national sovereignty consciousness during the New Policies period of the late Qing Dynasty. It not only embodies the cultural norms and writing art of traditional imperial examinations, but also reflects the saving thoughts of late Qing scholars in the face of national crises.