Titles on the Gold List: Selected Articles of China's Number One Scholars in Past Dynasties

The imperial examination system was a system that used examinations to select officials from the Sui, Tang and Qing Dynasties. From the time when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty established the Jinshi Department to the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1905) when the imperial examination was abolished, it existed in Chinese history for more than 1,300 years. Many students in the past dynasties have participated in examinations at various levels such as the provincial examination, the general examination, and the palace examination. Among them, the person who ranks first in high school in the imperial examination is called the number one scholar. Through the imperial examination, the imperial court raised questions about classics, meanings, or political affairs, asked difficult questions in simple terms, and solicited answers, which were used to examine the academic level and understanding of national government affairs of the candidates. This book is a collection of selected imperial examination articles from past dynasties, which converts traditional Chinese characters into simplified Chinese characters and variant characters into popular simplified Chinese characters. The punctuation is unified according to the usage of modern punctuation marks, making it easier for readers to read these imperial examination articles and gain knowledge.