Looking at the examination papers of the Qing Dynasty JinshiDian Examination from the current point of view, it may be difficult for us to understand what they express, but one thing will definitely cause us to marvel, that is, their papers, their writing is too beautiful! Xiaobian sorted out some of the examination papers for everyone, and we went to enjoy them together.
In 1694, The Emperor Hu Ren Yudian tried volume (I).
In 1694, The Emperor Hu Ren Yudian tried volume (II).
The temple examination was an examination presided over by the emperor in the Forbidden City. People take the exam in Beijing, and those who are admitted are called Gongshi. Gongshi is required to take the temple examination for further investigation. The difference is that the temple examination no longer reprimands the tributes who should take the examination, but ranks according to the level of the results, and after the emperor reviews and puts the list, they become jinshi.
In 1757, The Emperor Cai tried volume (I) with the Tai Temple.
In 1757, The Emperor Cai tried volume (II) with the Tai Temple.
According to the rank of the jinshi, there are three first divisions: 3 in the first division, which is commonly referred to as the champion, the list eye, and the tanhua; the second division and the third division each have one or two hundred, and the number of people on the list is different each time. The emperor read the temple to try the volume, one is to pay attention to the ideological and logical nature of the article itself, and the other is to pay attention to whether the volume is beautiful or not, and how the calligraphy skills are. In practice, the latter often prevails and even plays a decisive role.
In 1789, the Pung-eye Wang Tingzhen Hall tried volume (I).
In 1789, the Pung-eye Wang Tingzhen Hall tried volume (II).
The temple trial volumes selected in this article are randomly selected from the database. The surface of each copy is beautiful, the font is regular, the size is consistent, dignified, graceful, and it looks pleasing to the eye, as if it were printed.
In 1771, Tanhua Fan Zhendian tried volume (I).
In 1771, Tanhua Fan Zhendian tried volume (II).
In 1771, Tanhua Fan Zhendian tried volume (III).
The fact that the calligraphy was excellent because of the mediocrity of the article was repeatedly staged. At the same time, there are also some jinshi who write well but do not have good calligraphy, and as a result, they lose their reputation. Therefore, taking the imperial examination is not a good writer to win, and the role played by calligraphy can never be ignored.
In 1883, the 59th Liang Guantao Hall of the Second Division tried to roll.
In 1721, the chief examiner Zhang Pengfei presented 10 of the more excellent palace examination papers to the emperor for hand-picked first class. When the Kangxi Emperor read it, he was attracted by the calligraphy of Deng Zhongyue, a candidate from Shandong, and the writing on the examination paper was intricate, gentle and elegant, handsome and flowing, and radiant. He approved eight words on the test paper: "The article is flat, and the words are overwhelming." "Deng Zhongyue was awarded the title of Champion by virtue of his excellent calligraphy skills.
In 1904, Liu Chunlin hall examination paper.
In 1904, in the last imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty, the preliminary order drawn up by the chancellor of the imperial examination was Zhu Ruzhen, Liu Chunlin, Zhang Qijun, and Chuanxu Shang Yanjun. After reading the volume, the Guangxu Emperor thought that "the second volume is better than the first volume, and the fourth volume is better than the third volume, so it is mutually easy", Liu Chunlin became a champion because of "well written", and Shang Yanjun was promoted to Tanhua because of "good work". At that time, Liu Chunlin's examination paper "excellent calligraphy" was recognized by all the ministers who read the paper.
In 1895, wang Shijiedian, the 65th place of the second division, tried to roll the volume.
The more familiar Gong Zizhen is a counterexample. In 1829, during the temple examination, he wrote "Imperial Examination anbian Fu Yuanyuan", "to lift up current affairs, sprinkle more than a thousand words, straight to the point, and all the princes who read the files were shocked." The article can be said to be well done, but because "the law is not medium-range", it is not listed as superior, and it is a pity that it only won the nineteenth place in the top three, and cannot enter Hanlin.
In 1895, Fan Guoliangdian, the 8th place of the third class, tried to roll the volume.
In the Qing Dynasty, people's excessive emphasis on calligraphy in the imperial examination was not without words. Chen Kangqi's "Chronicle of Lang Qian" records that in 1851, the imperial emperor Mao Yin asked the imperial examination to "pay attention to the meaning of the text" and "regardless of the clumsiness of the font, specially take the scrolls of excellent knowledge", so that the readers understand that the imperial court emphasizes the article and not the font. The result? His performances were not recognized, and the emphasis on calligraphy over articles continued unabated until the abolition of the imperial examination system in 1905.
In 1904, Zhang Maojiongdian, the 6th place of the second class, tried to roll the volume.
The examination pays attention to the scale, and giving a good impression to the person who reads the paper is the proper meaning of the question, which is true in ancient and modern times. If too much attention is paid to calligraphy and the candidate's knowledge and talent are ignored, the original intention of selecting talents and abilities in the imperial examination is lost. After all, the imperial examination is not a calligraphy competition.