The imperial examination system lasted for over a thousand years, from the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the completion of the Tang Dynasty, the reform of the Song Dynasty, the decline of the Yuan Dynasty, the peak of the Ming Dynasty, to the downfall of the Qing Dynasty. Countless Chinese scholars, on the path of the imperial examination, relied on the collection of classics and history as their foundation and the principle of "studying well leads to officialdom", dedicating their entire lives to striving for success and fame. The pros and cons of the imperial examination have their own opinions, but it is indeed an indispensable part of our history, and its influence can still be seen from various exams such as the current college entrance examination.

According to the plan, the Imperial Examination Museum and its supporting projects will extend from Pingjiangfu Road in the east, Gongyuan Street in the south, Jinling West Road in the west, and Jiankang Road in the north, covering a total area of approximately 6.63 hectares and a planned construction area of over 200000 square meters. The project is planned to be implemented in two phases. The first phase covers an area of 2.75 hectares south and west of Mingyuan Building, with a planned construction area of 92000 square meters. The main purpose is to repair and protect some buildings and Mingyuan Building relics, construct the main body of the imperial examination museum and necessary supporting facilities, with a construction investment of about 946 million yuan. The second phase of the project covers an area of 3.88 hectares to the north and east of Mingyuan Tower, mainly for the renovation of Feihong Bridge, the connection of the historical axis of Jiangnan Gongyuan, and the construction of cultural and tourism supporting facilities.

The newly designed imperial examination museum is like a historical treasure box buried underground. It is centered around the Kuixing Hall, which is engraved with the names of the top scorers of all dynasties (implying the core of the imperial examination system), and covered with stone walls engraved with subsets of classical and historical texts (implying the content of the imperial examination system). The museum is layered by the historical changes of the imperial examination system (Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing..., like a historical booklet of the imperial examination system), collecting the thousand year history of the imperial examination system and waiting to be opened.

The imperial examination museum's treasure box is 36 meters long, 36 meters wide, and 20 meters high. It is completely submerged underground, with a quiet shallow water pool at the top. When visitors pass through the memorial archway of the imperial examination hall, opposite the Mingyuan Tower, the museum is like an ancient mirror (called "Jian" in ancient times), which includes the reflection of the Mingyuan Tower, reminiscent of the old saying "take history as a mirror".

The process of visiting a museum is like exploring a treasure. This long sealed treasure box is buried deep underground, surrounded by a narrow space on a ramp. On one side is a scripture box filled with words, and on the other side is a three-dimensional courtyard piled up with debris. As visitors stroll, they gradually move away from the noise of the market, wash away their restlessness, and begin to experience the hardships of the imperial examination journey that year.

At a depth of 20 meters, below the treasure box is an open courtyard surrounded by a circular pool. The courtyard is sunny with the movement of the sun's shadow and rainy with water droplets and ripples. In the center of the courtyard is the four story high Kuixing Hall. Looking up at the sky, around the Kuixing Dian Dou, the list of top scorers from various dynasties shines brightly under the illumination of lights.

Visitors climb up the escalator and shuttle through the history of the imperial examination system, from the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the completion of the Tang Dynasty, the reform of the Song Dynasty, the decline of the Yuan Dynasty, the peak of the Ming Dynasty, to the downfall of the Qing Dynasty. Whether presented physically or virtually, they cross the millennium of the imperial examination system in a trance, step out of the treasure box, and the Mingyuan Tower stands before their eyes.

The design provides a series of exhibition spaces of varying sizes and heights for the imperial examination museum, which can meet the diverse needs of exhibits of different scales and types of equipment.

The design fully considers the needs of people with disabilities and has carried out a complete barrier free design, allowing visitors in need to easily access various parts of the museum.

The design also provides a dedicated channel for special VIPs. Provide convenience for VIPs without affecting public visits.

Museums are also green buildings. Considering sustainable development and energy conservation and emission reduction, the design incorporates the climate characteristics of Nanjing and maximizes the use of natural lighting and ventilation in all aspects to reduce energy consumption and save operating costs.

After protection and maintenance, Mingyuan Building will be open to the public for visitors to climb and tour.

On both sides of Mingyuan Tower, 206 imperial examination sheds will be restored (one percent of the more than 20600 examination sheds in the heyday of Jiangnan Gongyuan) as outdoor real-life displays. Visitors can see the various forms and postures of imperial examination candidates, and with the help of modern technology, achieve an immersive visual effect.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial examination system, which had lasted for 1300 years, declined due to various reasons and was ultimately abandoned. However, the fair and just selection concept advocated by the imperial examination system has shown vigorous vitality in modern society, providing indispensable historical references for the continuous improvement of the examination system today. As Western historians have said, so far, there has been no better selection system besides the imperial examination. If the compass, gunpowder, paper and movable type printing the Four Great Inventions are ancient China's outstanding contributions to the world's material civilization, the imperial examination system is ancient China's institutional major contribution to the world's civilization.

Today is the time for us to re-examine the imperial examination system. The construction of the Chinese Imperial Examination Museum at the former site of the Jiangnan Gongyuan in Nanjing is timely and of great historical value and practical significance.

The construction of the Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum should adopt an appropriate posture and scale, integrate into the historical space of Nanjing, promote the dialogue between traditional culture and modern culture, and improve the cultural quality of the city.