Revealing: How prosperous was the culture of the Song Dynasty? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
Today we are going to talk about the imperial examination in 1057, when Emperor Renzong of Song was in power. This year’s examination also caused quite a stir, and people caused a lot of trouble. However, it is not because the candidates who were admitted are too famous, but rather because those who were not admitted are constantly complaining. Why? Because this year, the chief examiner Ouyang Xiu made drastic reforms, with significant changes to the exam content and a different writing style from before. This has led to dissatisfaction among many candidates, who did not pass the exam and instead of pondering their own problems, held others accountable. It has been proven that Ouyang Xiu’s approach was correct. If it weren’t for his transformation, the culture of the Song Dynasty might not have had a significant impact. It was precisely because of him that he pointed out the direction for the development of Song culture. Years later, looking back, Ouyang Xiu indeed had exceptional vision.
Alright, without further ado, let’s take a look at who made the list this year. The first is Zhang Heng, the second is Dou Bian, followed by Luo Kai. The people at the front are all unfamiliar to us, but don’t worry for now. Let’s continue to look back, and behind them are the famous Su Shi, as well as Zeng Gong and others. There are many famous ones that we won’t list one by one. Everyone knows Su Shi, who is a rare talent for a thousand years. Among them, three of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song dynasties were listed, and many celebrities were also included. For example, Zeng Bu had a considerable background and was a staunch follower of Wang Anshi’s reforms. There was also Zhang Dun, who later became the prime minister and continued to implement Wang Anshi’s reform measures. Cheng Hao, as we all know, is the founder of Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism. The presence of so many cultural celebrities is enough to demonstrate the prosperity of culture at that time.
