The number one scholar—the title given to the first person in the imperial examination era in my country. Since the implementation of the imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty, it has gone through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until it was abolished in the 31st year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1905), which lasted more than 1,000 years. In the era of "excellence in learning leads to officialdom", literati in feudal society regarded the examination as the only way to enter the official career. "After ten years of hard work, no one asked, and in one fell swoop, he became famous all over the world."; "The book has its own beauty, and the book has its own house of gold..." These ancient famous sayings have inspired many students to eat their courage, hang on the beam, stab the buttocks, drill the eight-legged guy, and jump into the dragon gate bravely. .

In ancient times, it was not easy to get the number one scholar. It had to go through five stages: childhood examination, college examination, provincial examination, general examination and palace examination. Palace examinations are usually presided over by ministers appointed by the emperor. The first place will be the number one scholar, the second place will be the second place, and the third place will be the top prize; those who pass the exam will all be Jinshi. Once the number one scholar in high school, he wears red and colorful clothes, beats drums and gold, rides on horseback and parades through the streets, it can be said that he smokes and smokes - shouting in front and rushing back, so majestic. An old couplet vividly describes the situation before and after the number one scholar:

In the old years, there was famine, and there was no one to rely on for firewood and rice. Walking out of the crossroads, you can't get credit or borrow, and many relatives and relatives stand by and watch, no one helps in times of need;

I am lucky now, but I have hope for money and wealth. Winning the first place in the Five Classics, one's surname and name are both celebrated. No matter whether Zhang San or Li Si is celebrated, it is the icing on the cake.

What’s more, the number one scholar is recruited by the emperor to be his consort, and his worth is a hundred times higher. It's much more impressive than the current "style", "wrist" and "star"!

In the feudal dynasty, the "eight-legged essay" was the main test for the number one scholar. According to historical records: 503 people obtained the number one scholar in the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties; if the Liao and Jin dynasties, Zhang Xianzhong’s Dashun court and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom are added to the total of 48 people, then the number of number one scholars in all Chinese dynasties* **There are 551 champions (excluding Wu champions and female champions). According to historical records: the first number one scholar in Chinese history was Sun Fujia, the number one scholar in Renwu Branch in the fifth year of Emperor Wude of the Tang Dynasty (622); the last number one scholar in the imperial examination was Liu Chunlin, the number one scholar in Jiachen Branch in the 30th year of Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1904); the youngest number one scholar was Su Gui, who ascended the throne in the seventh year of Yonghui, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, and Guo Yuanzhen, who ascended the throne in the fourth year of Xianheng, were both under 18 years old; the oldest number one scholar was Yin Shu in the Tang Dynasty, who took the exam dozens of times in his life and did not succeed until he was over seventy years old. I won the first prize in the self-recommendation exam and fulfilled my long-cherished wish of "getting a title on the gold list"!

2. Female champions

There was a female emperor Wu Zetian in Chinese history, but there were almost no female champions. There are many female champions in the legend: During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the female writer Chen Ruisheng wrote a long ballad "Rebirth". In the poem, the heroine Meng Lijun disguised herself as a man and won the champion. Later she became the prime minister and finally married her lost fiancé Huangfu. Menghua met and got married; the "Female Number One Scholar" in the Ming Dynasty drama "Four-Voice Monkey" tells the story of a girl named Huang Chuntao who disguised herself as a man and passed the exam... Of course, these "Mulan"-style female champions are all Characters portrayed in literary and artistic works; the first person in history who was called the "Female Number One Scholar" and was widely circulated was Huang Chonggu, a native of Linqiong (now Qionglai City, Sichuan Province).

According to "Yuxi Chronicles" and "Ten Kingdoms Spring and Autumn" records: During the period when Jian and his son were emperors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kings, a female poet named Huang Chonggu came out of Linqiong in the Shu Kingdom. She lost her parents in childhood, but she was very talented. In order to go out more conveniently, she disguised herself as a man since she was a child. She studied hard and was good at playing chess, poetry and painting. In the first year of Jiang Wende's reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (888 AD), Wang Jian led his troops to capture Linqiong, and then went to Chengdu, leaving behind his guest Zhou Chi to guard the city. Once, Huang Chong was reading at night while lighting a "well fire" (i.e., natural gas). He accidentally caught fire and destroyed his house, and was sent to the county jail. In order to escape from the disaster, she composed a hymn and dedicated it to Zhou Xiang: "I live in Linqiong in seclusion, and my behavior is as steadfast as the pine trees in the stream. Why is the government as clear as a water mirror, and it stumbles the wild crane in the deep cage."

Zhou Xiang saw the praise in the poem "Government is as clear as water" and loved her talent. He felt pity for her young age, so he released her and kept her in the government. Later, he transferred her to Chengdu to serve as the chief minister in the palace to join the army. Everyone in the house did not know that she was a weak woman. Empress Zhou Xiang proposed to recruit her as her son-in-law, but Huang Chonggu declined politely and instead wrote a poem called "Code to the Wife and Daughter of the Prime Minister of Shu". The last four lines are: "Standing tall and graceful as a green pine tree, tall and strong as a white wall. The shogunate's appearance is like this. Open your belly, and you will quickly become a man." After revealing the truth, he resigned and returned to his hometown to live in seclusion.

People at that time admired her talent and called her the "Female Champion". The play "The Female Champion" written by Xu Wei in the Ming Dynasty was all based on the story of Huang Chonggu. To this day, "The Tomb of Huang Chonggu, the Number One Scholar of Wang Shu" is still preserved on Chonggu Mountain in Huojing Township, Qionglai City.

Strictly speaking, the only person in history who actually participated in the scientific examination and became the "female number one scholar" was Fu Shanxiang, a 20-year-old woman during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. "Qingyi Lei Chao. Examination" records: A question in the scientific examination is taken from the "Only women and villains are difficult to raise" in "The Analects of Confucius". Fu Shanxiang went against the public opinion, "Strive to refute the theory of 'hard to raise', and use the merits of virtuous women as domestic helpers in ancient times" to promote women's achievements, and criticized feudal machismo and Confucius's wrong views of discrimination against women. Fu Shanxiang dared to oppose the fallacy of "men are superior to women" under the circumstances at that time, and dared to refute the conclusions of the "eternal sage" Confucius. Her spirit and courage were deeply appreciated by Hong Xiuquan, who personally selected her as the number one scholar, and wore a flower crown with her. Put on a formal dress and parade around the streets for three days amidst the roar of gongs and drums, stealing the show.

The times are changing, society is advancing, and the era of imperial examinations has long ceased to exist. Today's era is an era in which number one scholars emerge in large numbers. Not to mention "Three hundred and sixty, every profession leads to number one scholar." Just speaking of the college students, graduate students, and doctoral students who are similar to the number one scholars in ancient times, there are endless numbers of them, and it is possible that they are countless. La