preface
The term "Champion" can be said to have a long history. In today's society, every year in the college entrance examination, there will be liberal arts and science titles in various provinces, which is not only a recognition and recognition of their hard work, but also a long-standing tradition.
However, the ancient elements were much more gold-rich than they are now. After all, the examination is not held every year, nor does it have one in each province, and all students have to fight for the only place in the country.
From the establishment of the imperial examination system to the abolition of the imperial examination system in 1905, in the past thousand years, there have been only more than 600 titles, which is enough to show the rarity and preciousness of these imperial examinations.
At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Fan Jinzhongju was able to directly go crazy, which could not help but make us wonder what official positions the Qing Dynasty's champions were, and what kind of work was the last Yuanlang after the fall of the Qing Dynasty?
Born slightly cold, Cixi hand-picked
In the history of feudalism in the mainland, the last Yuanlang was called Liu Chunlin.
Liu Chunlin was born into a poor family, and his parents ran errands at Yamen. However, his parents, like many parents today, believe that they can only get ahead by studying and obtaining merit, so even if the family is not very well-off, they have long urged their children to study.
Liu Chunlin was in the social environment at that time, and he also knew the importance of reading, so he and his brother buried their heads in the scriptures and vowed to take the meritorious examination.
In 1903, the last official examination system in the history of the mainland was held. In this examination, Liu Chunlin's brother successfully passed the temple examination and passed the jinshi examination. Liu Chunlin himself, on the other hand, unfortunately fell off the list.
Sometimes, however, luck is part of strength. In 1904, Cixi's birthday decided to open Enke again, so Liu Chunlin had another opportunity to refer to it.
This time, he lived up to expectations and won the second place in the first division, which is what we call the list. However, with the blessing of good luck, Liu Chunlin's life did not stop here.
At that time, the person who ranked in front of Liu Chunlin was called Zhu Ruzhen, a talented man from Guangdong. Whether it is knowledge or good handwriting, the examiners praise it.
But when the examiners presented the examination papers to Empress Dowager Cixi, something changed. The ancients especially paid attention to avoiding secrets, and Zhu Ruzhen, as a person, had too many places to avoid for Cixi.
First of all, he was from Guangdong, which reminded her of the revolutionaries who gave her a great headache. Secondly, a "Zhen" character reminded her of Guangxu's favorite concubine, Concubine Zhen. How could someone touch their own scales twice in a row? When Cixi saw the second examination paper, the three words "Liu Chunlin" came into view, "spring" means vitality, not to mention Ganlin in spring?
Therefore, under the hand-pick of Cixi, Liu Chunlin became the leader of this Enke. In 1905, the imperial examination system was abolished, and Liu Chunlin became the last person to be deservedly appointed.
The Republic of China was founded and supported imperial power
In the second year of the examination, the Qing government began to prepare for the constitution. Liu Chunlin was sent to Japan to study, where he learned advanced democratic ideas and a deeper understanding of society.
However, the preparatory constitution did not bring the Qing government back to life, and in 1912, the Republic of China was founded, after which Yuan Shikai stole the achievements of the revolutionary party and manipulated the means to become the first president of the government.
After Yuan Shikai became president, he remembered his colleague. For the Qing Dynasty, he was a champion; for the Republic of China, he was an advanced element who had studied abroad, not to mention that he was also a colleague with Yuan Shikai, and under various opportunities, Yuan Shikai invited Liu Chunlin to the Republic of China government to do things for himself.
After Liu Chunlin was laid off, he was employed again, became a member of Yuan Shikai's camp, and even took the lead in petitioning Yuan Shikai to be emperor later. However, Yuan Shikai's throne was not yet hot, and he stepped down in a hurry in the midst of social oppression and public opinion, and then he was even more depressed.
After Yuan Shikai's death, Liu Chunlin continued to serve in the Republic of China government with his personal connections and prestige, and also supported Puyi in Zhang Xun's restoration, and after the failure of the restoration, Liu Chunlin continued to serve in the Republic of China government.
Until after the Northern Expedition, Liu Chunlin saw the ups and downs of the official field that he had been accustomed to for decades, and resigned and retired.
Gentleman's integrity, national righteousness
After the fall of the three eastern provinces, the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo. After Puyi took office, he remembered Liu Chunlin, who had supported his restoration, and sent someone to invite Liu Chunlin to the three eastern provinces to serve as the minister of education. Liu Chunlin looked at the ridiculous puppet Manchurian regime, decisively refused Puyi's request, and expressed chagrin at the actions he had made.
Since then, as the pace of Japanese aggression has accelerated, China has fallen into a period of national survival. After the fall of Peiping, Japan established a puppet regime in Peiping. Wang Yitang, who had studied in Japan with Liu Chunlin, invited him to do things for the Japanese people together, but Liu Chunlin not only did not agree, but also scolded his friends.
When the Japanese learned of this, they seized Liu Chunlin's home within a few days and confiscated all the antique calligraphy and paintings in his family's collection.
After Liu Chunlin's many connections, the Japanese allowed him to return home and return some of his books. Since then, Liu Chunlin has been sorting out books and practicing writing at home. His Xiao Kai is a vein of his own, and there is even a saying that "Da Kai learns Yan, Xiao Kai learns Liu".
In 1942, Liu Chunlin, who was idle at home, died of illness.
End
As the last leader of the Qing government, Liu Chunlin served the Qing government for far less than he served in the Republic of China government. In his body, there was pedantic and foolish loyalty as an intellectual in the old society, so he would support Yuan Shikai's claim to the title of emperor and then support Zhang Xun's restoration; but at the same time, in modern society, he also really worked for the Republic of China government, and had a very strong national righteousness.
In addition to his political experience, Liu Chunlin has also left us a valuable wealth in calligraphy. And under his efforts, among the classics and antiques confiscated by the Japanese, he also returned a part of it, contributing to the preservation and circulation of mainland cultural relics.