In the scrolls of history, champions are undoubtedly a remarkable group of people who stand out with their outstanding knowledge and outstanding talents and become the bright stars of the times. However, imagine if you were told that a whole third of China's champions actually emerged from a specific province, which is like a huge "Xueba province", how is this phenomenon possible?
What kind of miracle is it that nearly half of the 592 champions come from the same land? Is it the otherworldly education system there, or is it the regional culture that gives birth to thousands of students? How did this "Xueba Province" become the cradle of champions and cultivate such a huge group of academic elites?
The imperial examination, a system that has existed for more than 1,300 years, has shaped the spiritual outlook of the Chinese nation and witnessed the abundant talents produced in China. In the history of the imperial examination, there was a place where more than 200 champions were produced, and one-third of the champions came from here. Is there really a "Xueba Province" in China? Where is this place sacred?
This magical place is Fujian Province on the southeast coast of China.
Fujian is located on the southeast coast of China, surrounded by the sea on three sides, and has a long coastline. Since ancient times, it has been the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, with a prosperous economy and frequent exchanges with Southeast Asia and Western countries. The prosperous economy has accumulated huge wealth for Fujian, and also laid the foundation for a well-developed culture and education here.
Fujian's topography is dominated by mountains and hills, and the narrow and winding terrain makes it relatively closed, retaining the Han culture of the Central Plains while giving birth to its own unique regional culture. Attaching importance to education is a major feature of Fujian culture.
On the one hand, the huge wealth accumulated by Fujian merchants through business enabled them to have a good education for their children. On the other hand, the mountainous terrain also makes people accustomed to meditation and learning. Passed down from generation to generation, knowledge and learning are regarded by Fujian people as an important way to change their destiny. The imperial examination is a shortcut to inherit the glory of the family.
After the opening of the imperial examination system, Fujian's students continued to shine in this system, and high-quality students in the imperial examination came out one after another. From the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty alone, Fujian produced 2,428 Jinshi and 21 champions, as well as countless talents. Among them, the most famous is Lin Zexu of the Qing Dynasty. This native of Putian, Fujian Province, is the most famous anti-British patriot in Chinese history, he is agile and intelligent, upright, and is a typical talent nurtured by Fujian education.
It can be said that Fujian is China's true "province of learning", where there are not only many talents, but also the virtue of attaching importance to education and humility passed down from generation to generation, which makes this land permeated with a strong smell of books.
The reason why Fujian has become a province of academic tyrants is that the implementation of the imperial examination system has also contributed to it. This system, which has lasted for more than 1,300 years, has provided a transparent and fair shortcut to the selection of bureaucrats in Chinese history, and has also sharpened the painstaking people for thousands of years.
The prototype of the imperial examination system can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty. The probationary system implemented during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty is the prototype of this system. In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui was determined to reform the system of electing officials and eliminate the influence of the family's power, so he began to implement the imperial examination system in 587 to replace the traditional Jiupin Zhongzheng system. In 605, the Sui Dynasty officially established the Jinshi Department to select political talents. This is a sign of the maturity of the imperial examination system.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system was further strengthened and standardized. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Ministry of Rites set up a special imperial examination institute to manage the affairs of the imperial examination, which made the imperial examination system officially institutionalized and standardized. For more than 1,000 years since then, the imperial examination has been the only way to select the best people, providing a unified and fair standard for political selection in Chinese history, and also providing an opportunity for grassroots talents to turn over.
It can be said that the imperial examination system has provided vitality to China's political system and opened a channel for upward mobility, so that the children of poor families also have the opportunity to change their fate through their own efforts and become a generation of celebrities. It is the implementation of the imperial examination system that has sharpened the people who have studied hard for thousands of years in Chinese history.
Fujian's geographical and cultural conditions also provided fertile soil for the implementation of the imperial examination system. The tolerant mentality, the enterprising spirit of riding the wind and waves, and the diligence and studious spirit passed down from generation to generation have made Fujian people stand out in this thousand-year-old examination tide and achieve legends.
Lin Zexu is the best proof of this. This young man who was born in a poor family, was a talent at the age of 16, and later won the promotion. With excellent knowledge and enterprising energy, Lin Zexu finally won the Jinshi High School and was promoted to the minister step by step, making great contributions to the country. Without the springboard of the imperial examination list, there would be no Lin Zexu's political resume. It is precisely by relying on the imperial examination that generations of talents like Lin Zexu have been sharpened.
For people like Lin Zexu who came from a poor family, the imperial examination system is undoubtedly a springboard for changing lives.
Before the implementation of the imperial examination, the family controlled almost all official positions, and the appointment and dismissal of the emperor was also deeply influenced by the powerful family. As a result, many outstanding talents at the grassroots level have no chance to raise their heads. The implementation of the imperial examination system broke the monopoly of power on the family, and the power structure underwent fundamental changes. Through the imperial examination, the emperor can appoint henchmen regardless of the door, so as to consolidate the centralized power.
At the same time, the imperial examination also provided an opportunity for ordinary people to turn over. No matter how strong the family is, it can't resist the people's diligent and studious efforts to study books. Once promoted, no matter what your background, you can become a court leader and even hold power. Just like Li Chengdong, one of the four protectors of the country in the early Qing Dynasty, his grandfather was just a country cloth cloth who relied on the imperial examination to turn his way out.
This is the social mobility that the imperial examination system inaugurates. It not only changes the fate of individuals, but also breaks down the barriers of all social strata to a certain extent, so that the bottom talents have room to rise. This provided a steady stream of vitality for the development of ancient societies.
On the shortcut of the imperial examination, which is full of unspoken rules, it is precisely because of the inherent cultural genes that Fujian people are down-to-earth, forge ahead, and finally reap fruitful fruits. There is an extraordinary relationship between Fujian and the imperial examination. It is this relationship that has created Fujian's status as a province of academic tyrants.
More than 1,300 years later, the imperial examination system was abolished at the end of the Qing Dynasty and replaced by a new education system and administrative selection system. However, as a unique talent selection mechanism, the influence of the imperial examination system is still there today.
The current annual college entrance examination can be said to be a modern version of the imperial examination system. The idea of a unified standard examination and the selection of talents based on scores can be traced back to the imperial examination system 1,300 years ago. In order to get ahead, candidates can go through a long preparation process, and this spirit of hard work and enterprising spirit is also the shadow of the imperial examination in the Chinese cultural genes.
Even the top students in the college entrance examination that still exist in various places today are also the cult of talents left by the ancient imperial examination system. The word "champion" is the product of the imperial examination. For more than 1,300 years, countless ordinary people have been inspired by these two words to burn their youth and reach the pinnacle of life. This has also created those who can go down in history in the history of the motherland.
Today, Putian in Fujian Province still retains the reputation of "the hometown of education in China". There is still a special "race on the moon" landscape during the imperial examination of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is the moon-shaped pothole that the imperial examination candidates stepped out of when they prayed for the creation of the statue, and the traces of history were engraved on the land. This is also a testament to the development of China's education.
It can be said that the reason why Fujian has become the hometown of champions is actually due to the historical and cultural heritage of the same lineage.
This kind of cultural gene is not only the spiritual symbol shared by the Chinese nation, but also reflects the uniqueness of Fujian's regional culture. The diligent and studious, rigorous and realistic study style, the enterprising spirit of eager to change destiny and keep pace with the times, and the tenacious character of cherishing opportunities and treating difficulties and dangers as sharpening are all the nutrients that the Chinese have absorbed in the thousand-year-old imperial examination and selection. These are the cultural genes that have created the thousand-year-old imperial examination system, and they have also created the hot land of Fujian.
Today, the imperial examination has long been a thing of the past. However, the spirit of diligent study and pioneering spirit flows in the hearts of every Fujian person. This is also the magic weapon why Fujian has become a state of academic tyrants. Many contemporary political, business and academic leaders, such as Alibaba's Jack Ma, Tencent's Ma Huateng, and a series of academic figures, are also the inheritors of this imperial examination cultural gene.
It can be said that the Fujian spirit, which is inherited in the same line, not only shows the indomitable character of the Chinese nation, but also indicates the unlimited development potential of Fujian people. This is the root of Fujian's unique status as a "scholar".
Looking back at the history of the imperial examination, we can clearly see that this product, which is far beyond a system, is more like the confirmation of the genes of Chinese civilization. It is not only a witness to the progress of China's political civilization, but also the historical root of the emergence of talented Chinese.
In the course of more than 1,300 years, the imperial examination system has united intellectuals from different walks of life with extraordinary inclusiveness, and inspired tens of millions of people to work hard and work together with their incomparable motivation. It is precisely because of the transparent shortcut of the imperial examination that China's political system has sustained upward social mobility, and China's cultural landscape will be filled with the fragrance of sublimation.
With its unique geography and culture, Fujian has achieved the province with the largest concentration of high-achieving students in the imperial examination. It not only provides a large number of outstanding talents for Chinese politics, but also carries forward the deepest heritage of the national spirit. Diligence, simplicity, perseverance, and tolerance are all innate virtues of the Chinese, and they are also the key to the glory of the imperial examination.
Looking back at the imperial examination today, we see not only a glorious epic, but also the profound connotation of Chinese civilization's interaction with it. This is an important secret of the continuous growth of Chinese civilization as an ancient civilization in the world - healthy cultural genes breed a healthy talent team, relying on the profound heritage of historical accumulation and the tolerance of harmonious interaction with new things.
The splendor of Fujian's imperial examinations is the best interpretation of this Chinese secret.