Sentence | Li-chi-hsien
Edit | Chestnut Hat
The imperial examination system is an important system for selecting officials in ancient China, which can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, but it was formally established in the Sui Dynasty and perfected in the Tang Dynasty.
There are different levels of the imperial examination, and the college examination is the most elementary examination, which is called a student, a talent or a child, and those with excellent grades can enjoy the state's food subsidy and become a student.
Those who pass the hospital examination can participate in the township examination, which is held once every three years, and the person who passes is called Juren, and the first place is called Xie Yuan. The next step is the examination, which is held every three years in the capital, and those who pass are called Gongshi, and the first place is called Huiyuan.
The palace examination is the highest level of the imperial examination, presided over by the emperor, and those who pass are collectively referred to as Jinshi, and the palace examination is divided into three first-class admissions, and the first one takes three places, which are called champions, lists, and tanhuas in turn, collectively known as the three tripod armor.
What we want to talk about today is Tanhua, judging from the level of the imperial examination, the champion should be above Tanhua, but the person who won the Tanhua is even happier than the champion, what is the reason?
Soukaro
The term "Tanhua" first appeared in the Tang Dynasty, but it did not originally refer to the third place of the palace test jinshi, but a joking name that had nothing to do with the ranking.
During the Tang Dynasty, the new science and technology jinshi was released in the spring, when the apricot blossoms in Chang'an were in full bloom. In order to celebrate the first place, the new science and technology will hold a garden event called the "Apricot Garden Banquet".
In this banquet, two young and handsome Jinshi will be selected as "Tanhua Messengers", who are responsible for picking flowers in various gardens to welcome the champions, so these two people are called "Tanhualang". It can be seen that the "Tanhua" of the Tang Dynasty only refers to the two youngest people in the list of Jinshi.
This title appeared less in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, because there was no "apricot garden" in the capital at that time, so naturally there was no establishment of Tanhualang.
As to when "Tanhua" began to be used as a pronoun for the third place of Jinshi, this is a difficult question to answer exactly. According to Zhao Yi's "Chenyu Cong Kao" in the Qing Dynasty, it is speculated that from about the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the champion, the list eye, and the tanhua respectively refer to the first, second, and third places in the palace examination, and this usage finally became customized.
Appearance is justice
In the Chinese cultural tradition, "learning to become a scholar and martial artist, and selling the goods to the emperor's family" is regarded as the highest pursuit of scholars. From the Han Dynasty's "Filial Piety and Honesty" to the imperial examination system established in the Sui Dynasty, it is a concrete embodiment of this pursuit.
However, in the late Han Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, due to the manipulation of the government by the scholars, the system gradually evolved into a selection method based on family relationships, and lost the original intention of selecting talents.
After experiencing the turmoil of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Sui Dynasty created the imperial examination system in order to achieve a fairer talent selection. This system allows students from all walks of life to participate in the selection of the state through examinations, and theoretically realizes fair competition regardless of their origins.
The imperial examination system lasted for 1,300 years from Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty to Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, and despite the change of dynasty, the imperial examination system itself has changed little. The imperial examination is divided into four levels: the hospital examination, the township examination, the general examination, and the palace examination. The palace examination was personally written by the emperor, which was not only an examination of the true level of the students, but also to allow the emperor to meet each other, so that the future monarchs and ministers would not be embarrassed when they met.
Everyone has a love for beauty, and so does the emperor. There are historical records, such as Zhong Kui, because of his ugly appearance, was rejected by Tang Taizong in the imperial examination during the Zhenguan period, and finally ended in tragedy.
However, such extreme examples are rare. On the one hand, even if they are the top students in high school, they need to start from the grassroots level, and most people may not be able to see the emperor again in their lifetime; on the other hand, since the goal is to "sell the emperor's family", the candidates naturally have a certain psychological preparation and will not go to extremes because they fail to become the champion.
When everything settles, although the champion is overwhelmed, Tanhua is more eye-catching because of its good looks. Tanhua may be slightly inferior to the champion in terms of literary talent or luck, but it is superior in appearance.
Originally, the emperor asked Tanhua to appear first in the celebration, using his appearance and talent as an introduction to build momentum for the appearance of the champion. However, the princes and ministers are often attracted by the demeanor of Tanhua, and by the time the champion appears, he has already had aesthetic fatigue, and his impression of the champion is not as deep as that of Tanhua.
Since the champion, Bangyan, and Tanhua will all be assigned to the Hanlin Academy, Tanhua will often have unexpected development in the future career and realize a gorgeous turn in life.
Status elevation
In the feudal dynasty system, although the champion is the laurel of the examination, there is still a long way to go to be a supreme minister. The Hanlin Academy, as a gathering place for scribes, was mainly responsible for compiling historical books and handling documents, which was far from the political core and had no substantive power. If it weren't for the emperor's special favor, the champion would probably have gone into obscurity.
As a result, champions often need a guide, who may be their mentor, a clansman, or a marriage in law. Despite his talents, once the work is assigned, Tanhua's strengths begin to emerge. Tanhua was recognized by the emperor for her handsome appearance, and her literary style was on par with the champion, and she became the first choice for princes and nobles to marry daughters.
Once Tanhua becomes the son-in-law of a prince and nobleman, his career will be smoother than that of ordinary champions. These princes and nobles will use their influence to seek positions in the court for their sons-in-law, which not only strengthens their own power, but also provides a reliable "pension insurance" for their daughters.
As time passed, the aura of the champion was replaced by a new champion, and the focus shifted to individual strength and merit. At this time, the social capital and opportunities obtained by Tanhua through marriage often make it faster to be promoted and more successful in the officialdom.
The story of Tanhualang Kuaijulin
In ancient times, there was a talented Tanhualang named Kuai Julin. He is not only knowledgeable, but also personable, and is the prince charming in the hearts of many girls.
However, Kuai Julin's heart had already been captured by a woman named Zhu Jiuzhen. Zhu Jiuzhen is not from a famous family, but he has an otherworldly temperament and a brilliant mind.
The encounter between the two is like a well-choreographed symphony of fate. On a spring day, Kuai Julin met Zhu Jiuzhen, who was chanting poetry alone, in the peach blossom forest of the academy. Her poems are fresh and refined, and the words are beautiful, so that Kuai Julin can't help but stop and listen. At that moment, he was deeply attracted by Zhu Jiuzhen's talent, and he secretly felt feelings in his heart.
As time passed, Kuai Julin's interactions with Zhu Jiuzhen became more and more frequent. They admired the moon, played games, and discussed poetry together, and their tacit understanding and affection with each other deepened day by day. Zhu Jiuzhen's wisdom and independence made Kuai Julin even more admired. And Zhu Jiuzhen was also moved by Kuai Julin's talent and sincerity, and the emotions between the two were like a long stream of water, gradually getting better.
However, the good times did not last long, and their love story encountered many obstacles from the outside world. Zhu Jiuzhen's family background is not prominent, and there is a huge difference between him and Kuai Julin's family, which makes the relationship between the two of them strongly opposed by Kuai Julin's family.
Faced with family pressure and social prejudice, Kuai Julin and Zhu Jiuzhen experienced a series of challenges and tests. But the power of love is great, and it keeps two hearts together, no matter the storm or the storm.
Kuai Julin ignored the opposition of his family, insisted on his choice, and vowed to spend this life with Zhu Jiuzhen. After many twists and turns, the two finally overcame all obstacles and won the understanding and blessing of their families and society.
The story of Kuai Julin and Zhu Jiuzhen has become a good story that has been praised through the ages. Their love proves that true love does not need to be a match, it is only a heart-to-heart connection, and there is no need for gold and silver treasures, but only for each other. Their stories inspire future generations to overcome all obstacles and find their own happiness as long as they have love in their hearts, no matter how much difficulty and resistance they encounter.
epilogue
The imperial examination system lasted for 1,300 years and had an indelible influence in ancient Chinese history.
Although the imperial examination broke the hereditary system and the gate valve system, it provided opportunities for the children of poor families to rise, making the selection of talents more fair. However, there are still certain drawbacks in the imperial examination, and "Fan Jinzhongju" reflects this drawback.
Fan Jinzhongju is a famous storyline of the Qing Dynasty novelist Wu Jingzi in his book The Outer History of Confucianism, which has been included in middle school Chinese texts many times.
This story is about the protagonist Fan Jin, who succeeds in the middle of the lift, but goes insane due to overexcitement. The storyline of Fan Jinzhongju is a critique of the imperial examination system.