China Zhuangyuan Hall Exam Paper Collection - (Volume 1 and Volume 2)

Author: Deng Hongbo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Regarding the editorial format of this book, it is necessary to provide an explanation here. The book consists of two main parts: the main text and appendices. The main text is arranged in the order of imperial examinations, generally including brief biographies of top candidates, palace examination questions, and palace examination papers. Some examination sessions include additional appendices such as imperial rewards, top candidates' thank-you memorials, provincial examination papers, and eight-legged essays. For each dynasty, palace examination questions without papers are compiled into separate sections and included as the main text, arranged at the end of each dynasty. As for the selection and compilation of the book, the following principles are followed. The "palace examination papers of top candidates" collected in this book refer to the poems that top candidates used to become top candidates. Before the Song Taizu, they were actually provincial examination papers, while after him, they became the true palace examination papers. The longer the time, the greater the difficulty of compiling documents. Tang and Song documents are particularly precious, while Ming and Qing documents are relatively easier to obtain. Therefore, the criteria for selection and compilation may vary, with slightly broader criteria for Tang and Song and stricter criteria for Ming and Qing. Top candidates are produced by the highest level of the imperial examination. The palace examination, as a part of the entire examination chain, is closely linked to the provincial examination (provincial examination). In view of this, this book includes a small number of top candidates' provincial examination documents, including eight-legged essays, as appendices, aiming to reflect the general outline of the imperial examination.