Abstract: In late Kangxi Dynasty, the swelling population of test takers and the limited admission quota in the imperial examinations resulted in fierce social conflict. The Qing government established the Enke system to maintain social stability by controlling the intellectuals. Therefore, the Enke system was carefully implemented during Yongzheng and Qianlong Dynasty, which reinforced the control of the imperial examination system, but weakening the selection function of the imperial examination system. As a result, the imperial examination system and the education of Qing ran into deep crisis.

Key words: the Qing dynasty, education, the Enke system, functions of the imperial examination