Jiangnan Examination Hall — China Imperial Examination Museum

Nanjing's place to understand the imperial examinations, the 1,300-year system that chose officials by written test. Above ground is what survives of the Jiangnan exam compound — the Mingyuan Tower, the Zhigong Hall, and a row of the tiny cells in which candidates sat, shut in, for the length of the exam. Below ground the museum goes down four floors: five sections, 33 galleries, more than 10,000 objects, and it became a national first-grade museum in 2020 (Qinhuai district government).