Complete Collection of Imperial Examination Papers (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Deng Hongbo et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Regarding the editorial style 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 chronological order by examination categories, generally including brief biographies of top candidates, palace examination questions, and palace examination papers. Some examination categories may include additional appendices such as imperial rewards, top candidates' thank-you letters, provincial examination papers, and eight-legged essays. For each dynasty, palace examination questions without papers are compiled into separate sections and included in the main text, arranged at the end of each dynasty. As for the sources and compilation of this book, the following principles are followed. The "top candidate palace examination papers" collected in this book refer to the poems that top candidates used to become top candidates, with Emperor Taizu of Song as the dividing point. Before this, they were actually provincial examination papers, while after this, they became truly palace examination papers. The older the era, the more difficult it is to collect documents. Tang and Song documents are particularly precious, while Ming and Qing documents are relatively easier to obtain. Therefore, the selection criteria may vary, with slightly broader standards for Tang and Song and stricter standards 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 candidate provincial examination documents, including eight-legged essays, as appendices, aiming to reflect the general outline of the imperial examination.