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Zhuangyuan

Zhuangyuan, or jangwon in Korean and trạng nguyên in Vietnamese, variously translated into English as principal graduate, primus, or optimus, was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the Imperial examination, (in the Tang dynasty) and (in the Song dynasty) in imperial China, Gwageo examinations in Goryeo and Joseon era Korea, and Vietnam.

In China, Fu Shanxiang is known as the first (and last) female zhuangyuan (nü zhuangyuan) in Chinese history, but under the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, not the regular imperial exams. After the Taipings captured the city of Nanjing, they offered an exam for women in January 1853 in which Fu attained the highest score.

In Vietnam, the first de facto trạng nguyên was Lê Văn Thịnh, a Lý dynasty scholar. He was the chief negotiator who persuaded the Song to return the 6 districts of Quảng Nguyên (today Hà Giang province) to Vietnam. Nevertheless, the first Vietnamese person to be trạng nguyên was in fact Khương Công Phụ under Chinese Tang Dynasty. The first female trạng nguyên (nữ trạng nguyên) was Nguyễn Thị Duệ, who later become a consort of the Mạc Emperor Mạc Kính Cung. She had previously been a consort of the Lê Emperor Lê Thần Tông, and would serve as an official in the Revival Lê dynasty after the fall of the Mạc dynasty. Under Nguyễn Dynasty, the title trạng nguyên was not officially abolished, yet its standards were so high that it was virtually unachievable.

In China

In total, there were 596 zhuangyuan in ancient China.

Noteworthy zhuangyuan

  • Guo Ziyi, (697-781), a famous Tang dynasty general.
  • , (?-658), Tang dynasty dali qing (chamberlain of the Court of Judicial Review), highly regarded for his candid advice to Gaozu and Taizong, the first zhuangyuan in history.
  • , (1037-1082), the only military zhuangyuan who was killed on the battlefield in Chinese history.
  • Zhang Heng (), (1025-1099), a prominent Song dynasty official.
  • Chen Wenlong, (1232-1277), a prominent Song dynasty scholar-general.
  • Wen Tianxiang, (1236-1283), a scholar-general in the last years of the Southern Song dynasty. For his resistance to Kublai Khan's invasion of the Song, and for his refusal to yield to the Yuan dynasty despite being captured and tortured.
  • Mo Xuanqing, (834-868), the youngest zhuangyuan in the imperial examinations during the Tang dynasty.
  • Chen An (), (1362-1397), the only zhuangyuan to be put to death by the emperor in Chinese history.
  • Tang Gao, became the Zhuangyuan in the ninth year (1514) of the Zhengde Emperor's reign during the Ming dynasty.
  • Zhao Bingzhong, the only zhuangyuan with his examination paper kept until now.
  • Yu Minzhong, who served as chief grand councilor for part of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of Qing dynasty.
  • Hong Jun.
  • Weng Tonghe.
  • Lin Hongnian, (1805–1885).
  • Fu Shanxiang, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the first and only woman to become a zhuangyuan.
  • (1876–1898), the last military zhuangyuan in Chinese history.
  • (1872–1942), the last zhuangyuan in Chinese history.
  • Xu Shilin, a mythological figure who attained the Zhuangyuan, demonstrated great filial piety to his mother, Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda.

In Vietnam

In total, there were 56 trạng nguyên in ancient Vietnam.

Noteworthy Trạng nguyên

In modern culture

In modern Chinese, zhuangyuan is used to refer to anyone who achieves the highest mark on a test, or, more generally, to anyone who is at the forefront of his or her field. In mainland China, the term is most often used to refer to the highest score at the provincial level for either the social sciences (文科) or physical sciences (理科) track of the annual gaokao college entrance exam.

See also

  • Bangyan (Bảng nhãn, 榜眼)

References

Further reading