This is the first choice for relaxation activities, and Tang and Song candidates will also check in at the "Internet famous tourist attractions" after the exam. | Candidates | First choice
Starting from June 23rd, the results of the college entrance examination in various regions have been announced one after another, allowing candidates who have been suffering for a long time to finally relieve their psychological burden. No matter how well they did in the end, they all worked hard, so a bunch of "post college entrance exam phenomena" appeared online: playing games, eating and drinking, preparing for travel... In fact, the life of ancient candidates after taking exams was also rich and colorful.
Play to the extreme and see all the Chang'an flowers in a day
After leaving the examination room, Tang Dynasty candidates preferred to relax and participate in local self guided tours because the city of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was very prosperous, and people from all walks of life could enjoy themselves in Chang'an. Candidates can visit famous scenic spots and historical sites in Chang'an City, go to taverns for drinks, and even visit private homes.
Just visiting famous scenic spots and historical sites, Tang Dynasty candidates played to the extreme. Like modern people, Tang Dynasty candidates would also give a strategy. The most popular tourist attractions in Chang'an City are the southeast scenic area, which stretches from Qinglong Temple in the north, to Furong Garden in the south, to Ci'en Temple and Xingyuan in the west, and to the outer city wall in the east. This route includes multiple popular tourist attractions, not only with a serene and tranquil environment and a plethora of ancient flowers and trees, but also as a venue for imperial examinations and banquets such as Yanta Naming, Apricot Garden Flower Exploration, Moon Lantern Playing Ball, and Qujiang Banquet. Xu Yan, Zheng Gu, Yang Zhizhi, Bai Juyi, and others all came here to check in and play during exams in Chang'an City, which naturally made them very popular.
When it comes to "Naming the Wild Goose Pagoda," it sounds like a very lofty activity, but the actual operation is for new scholars to inscribe names on the walls of the Wild Goose Pagoda while visiting the Ci'en Temple. Similar to writing "27X Visiting Here", it was considered a romantic event among literati during the Tang and Song dynasties. It is reported that the origin of the title of the Wild Goose Pagoda was that during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, when Zhang Ju, a new Jinshi, visited Ci'en Temple, he put his name under the Big Wild Goose Pagoda on a whim. As soon as this action was taken, the candidates thought to themselves, "He still knows how to play, so do we!" So more and more candidates followed suit, especially the new Jinshi. If they could name themselves on the Wild Goose Pagoda, it would definitely be a great honor. Of course, it doesn't matter if the handwriting is ugly. Ancient candidates would even recommend someone with a good handwriting to write their name, place of origin, and date on the wall of the Wild Goose Pagoda.
There is another interesting thing about the title of the Wild Goose Pagoda. In the ninth year of the Zhenyuan reign, Liu Zongyuan, along with 32 others including Liu Yuxi, ascended to the imperial examination and jointly inscribed their names on the Ci'en Temple Pagoda. Liu Zongyuan drafted and discussed the calligraphy of Yuan Maobing. There are also rules for Jinshi to write "27X for this trip", which require adding clan prestige before their names. There is a person on the list named Xing Nanrong, who is probably quite social anxiety, and no one knows his background. However, he left the naming site temporarily. At this moment, Liu Zongyuan confidently said, "Xingjun is from the East China Sea." Tan Yuanmao thought to himself that if this was written, he could not be altered. So he asked Liu Zongyuan why he was so certain. Liu Zongyuan then said, "The East China Sea is so vast that it cannot be tolerated." When Xing Nanrong returned, everyone came to ask about his family name, and indeed Liu Zongyuan guessed correctly that he was from the Bohai Sea. It can be seen that this title also has a certain format and attention to detail. Of course, the above-mentioned behaviors can be fined in modern times because they lack social morality.
As for the Qujiang banquet, it is even more grand. It is not just about having a meal. Banquets can sometimes last for several months, and even extend until midsummer. Among them, activities such as exploring flowers in Xingyuan and playing ball with moon lanterns are also included in the Qujiang banquet, which can be said to be extremely rich. Whether it is a successful exam or a successful result through repeated examinations, one can achieve spiritual release and happiness at this time. After all, the exam was so hard, and I finally passed. How could I be willing to eat and drink like crazy! The most vivid expression of this psychology is undoubtedly in Meng Jiao's "After Ascending the Imperial Examination": "In the past, I was dirty and lacked praise, but now I am indulging in debauchery and have boundless thoughts. In the spring breeze, I am proud of my horse's hooves, and in a day I see all the flowers in Chang'an."
If Tang Dynasty candidates were asked to edit a travel video, the content would definitely be much richer than modern candidates' "special forces style travel".
Catching son-in-law under the list: "Red dress competing to see the green clothed man"
In the developed commodity economy of the Song Dynasty, the frenzy among candidates turned into a nationwide frenzy. Before the exam, businessmen in the Song Dynasty prepared the No. 1 cake, Dingsheng cake, Zongzi, pig hoof, the No. 1 exam kit, three famous pens... All kinds of promotional activities around the exam gave people a festive celebration.
When the exam is finished and the exam results are released, the emperor personally announces the exam results, which is called "singing the name". If a successful candidate in the exam can be named by the emperor himself, it is naturally an unparalleled honor and can be exciting for a lifetime. On every roll out day, in addition to examiners and other officials related to the exam, there are also royal relatives, military officials, envoys, military governors, and other important members of the royal family and court who participate or observe together, which shows how high the standard of this roll out ceremony is. However, later on, the number of successful candidates increased, and after the emperor finished reciting it, he was likely to gasp for breath. Therefore, he only recited the names of the top three top scorers, ranking officials, and explorers, while the rest were announced by officials, known as "Chuanlu".
The singing scene is extremely lively and exciting. Who would have thought that after just finishing the exam and passing it, one could quickly get out of the singlehood and be listed as a son-in-law? This can be considered a great spectacle after the Song Dynasty exams. At the time of singing, many high-ranking officials and dignitaries gather to watch the selection of a son-in-law. Wang Anshi wrote a poem about this: "But I remember the journey of Jinmingchi, where the red dress competes to see the green clothed man."
According to Peng Cheng, a scholar from the Song Dynasty, in Volume 1 of "Moke Waves the Rhinoceros", there was a successful candidate for the imperial examination. He was also handsome and had an extraordinary speech, which attracted the attention of a noble family. The family sent more than ten strong men to gather the Jinshi in his home and said to him, "I have a daughter who is not ugly. Would you like to marry her?" The Jinshi said, "Then I will go home and discuss with my wife." This sentence caused laughter among the onlookers, and the aristocratic family had to give up.
And Feng Jing, the son-in-law of Fu Bi of the Northern Song Dynasty, was captured at the bottom of the list. He was the top scorer in the first year of Emperor Renzong's reign, unmarried and talented. At the beginning, it was not Fu Bi who caught him as his son-in-law, but Zhang Yaozuo, the uncle of Empress Zhang of Emperor Renzong. This old man actually falsely passed on the imperial edict: "I want a wife and a daughter. Embrace him to his home, tie him with a gold belt, and say, 'This is my intention.' Pour it out, bring wine and food to the palace, and show them the purpose of the dowry. Jing smiled and refused." This was said to be the emperor's intention, but of course, Feng Jing refused. Later on, he was taken in by Zhang Qi again, and Zhang Qi asked about ten strong men and family members to gather him at home, but Feng Jing also disagreed. Finally, Feng Jing became the son-in-law of Prime Minister Fu Bi.
Of course, in the Song Dynasty, it would cost a lot of money to catch a son-in-law, and the woman had to give the man the money to support the future son-in-law's food and clothing expenses in the capital. In order to catch the son-in-law of the Jinshi, some families even paid double the "catch money", which shows how popular the Jinshi was at that time. As a candidate, if the success of the imperial examination coincides with the success of the bridal chamber, and there is also a considerable amount of money to be earned, how carefree the day after the exam would be.
Falling behind is the norm, and even candidates who change careers are happy
The admission rate of ancient candidates was much lower than that of modern college entrance exams, with only a small portion passing the exam. It is only common in life to fail. National victories, Qujiang Banquet, Yanta Naming, and catching son-in-law under the list are all unrelated celebrations for underperforming candidates, but this does not mean that underperforming candidates do not deserve happiness.
If the southeastern scenic area of the Tang Dynasty is a carnival for passing the imperial examination, then the eastern suburbs of Chang'an City are a spiritual comfort for those who have fallen behind. The eastern suburbs of Chang'an City, such as Changleyi and Baqiao, are the extension areas of Chang'an City. The Tonghua Gate and Chunming Gate were the main channels for candidates to enter and exit Chang'an City in the eastern part of the Tang Dynasty. Before the exam, candidates enter this door full of ambition, but after leaving this door, it becomes a place of disappointment and despair. Many underperforming candidates have written poems and essays about the Ba Bridge in the eastern suburbs here, such as Gao Chan, who has been struggling for ten years. In his book "Departing from the Spring Gate", he wrote, "I once drove sorrow in with the autumn rain, but brought hatred back to the spring breeze. I deeply thank the willows by the Baling embankment, brushing dust on people's heads."
During the Tang Dynasty, some students who fell behind in exams decided to go out and play for a while before staying in the capital for the summer, finding a secluded place to study and study, and pinning their hopes on the next exam. In addition, unsuccessful candidates will also travel elsewhere, praying for the support and recommendation of local officials or nobles. Failing the exam, whether it's going out to enjoy the scenery or looking for another opportunity, is a form of relaxation. In the Song Dynasty, with the development of commercial economy, many underperforming candidates were unwilling to dwell solely on the issue of scientific examinations, so some chose to give up exams and directly engage in business. Yuan Xie's wife's uncle Bian Youcheng, as well as Bian Youcheng's younger brother, both of whom failed multiple exams before switching to business and becoming wealthy. Of course, even if they give up the imperial examination, they still have the habit of reading and writing, which actually brings some elegance to their business life.
In addition to doing business, during the Song Dynasty, there were also candidates who entered the entertainment industry and engaged in the craft industry. In the Song Dynasty, entering the entertainment industry required some knowledge, such as compiling storybooks for speech and scripts for drama. For example, Ding Shi, a Jiaofang performer during the Yuanyou period of the Northern Song Dynasty, came from the background of a local tribute scholar and was from the same hometown as the then prime minister Liu Zhi. In the same year, he paid tribute, with Liu Zhi ranking first and Ding Shi ranking fourth. And Ding Shi is not an exception, it can be imagined that there were also many similar backgrounds in the martial arts industry at that time.
Not being a screenwriter, one can also become a lawyer. After all, litigation requires legal knowledge and the ability to deal with the government. Candidates who have undergone scientific research have an inherent advantage in this area. Some candidates also become scribes, copying texts. Or go to private schools in the folk to teach, continue to carry forward what you have learned, and entrust your dreams of scientific research to students.
If unsuccessful candidates do not want to deal with words, they can also choose to do fortune telling, which is known as "selling divination". There are also those who study medicine. Fan Zhongyan once thought that if he could not become a prime minister in the future, he would be willing to be a good doctor. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there were indeed such examples, such as Yu Shu, who wrote "Yu Shu's Annotations on the Difficult Classic", and Dong Ji, who wrote "Essential Prescriptions for Guesthouses" and "Treatise on Urgent Prescriptions for Pediatric Spots". In the Southern Song Dynasty, more and more candidates abandoned the medical examination and became known as "Confucian doctors". In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court even had a policy of failing the imperial examination, such as calling the candidates lifelong achievements, allowing them to be sent to prison for education, and taking exams for teaching positions.
It can be seen that no matter whether you pass the exam or not, it will not affect the happiness of the ancient examinees. After all, the carnival in the exam is temporary, and the loss of the first place is also temporary. The road of life is so long, whether it is to fight the examination room again, or to find another way out, optimism can go further.
