World's Ugliest

Author: Yang Xiaoxiong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: In the late Qing Dynasty, Tianjin scholar Liu Baoshan goes to the capital for the imperial examination and wins first place in the provincial competition. The daughter of the Sixth Prince, the Fifth, is determined to marry the top scholar and seeks her parents' influence to ensure Liu Baoshan's victory. Liu Baoshan refuses to be entangled by the powerful, skips the palace examination, and commits an offense against the emperor. In his misfortune, he meets the beautiful and kind Chai Xiugu, and the two pledge to spend their lives together. Zeng Guofan recaptures Anqing, which was occupied by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the emperor is delighted, adding an extra imperial examination, the "Enlightened Examination." The Fifth uses the same tactic again and asks her father for help. Upon learning this, Liu Baoshan deliberately "leaves his answer sheet blank" during the palace examination and resolves to give up his ambition for fame and fortune, dedicating himself to the lowly trades of "prostitutes, maids, and beggars." He changes his stage name to Liu Gan San and joins the famous Peking Opera troupe of Cheng Changgeng's Sanqing Class, playing the role of a clown. After enduring countless hardships, Liu Gan San finally marries Xiugu and becomes one of the famous actors featured in Shen Rongpu's painting "The Thirteen Great Performers of the Tongguang Era," becoming the renowned "Clown of the World." The novel is written in Peking dialect, with numerous characters, a dramatic plot, and strong readability; it is also being released in sync with a 30-episode television drama of the same name.