"Burning Tail" Author: Yu Gengzhe Publisher: CITIC Press

Contents:

"Burning the tail" means "a fish turns into a dragon and ascends the Dragon Gate". Since its birth, the imperial examination system has affected the entire Tang Dynasty society. In addition to introducing the imperial examination system and imperial examination culture, this book also tells the experiences of Li Bai, Liu Yuxi, Li Shangyin, Wen Tingyun, Li He, Meng Haoran and others related to the imperial examination and official advancement, as well as the experiences of cultural women such as Shangguan Wan'er and Xue Tao, vividly presenting the social life and style of the Tang Dynasty scholars. What is the scene of "Inscribing the Name of the Wild Goose Pagoda" to see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day? Li He was restricted by the taboo system and could not take the Jinshi examination. Bai Juyi's experience made people sigh that "rice in Chang'an is expensive and it is not easy to live in a big city". Wen Tingyun, who was affected by the Yangzhou incident, was included in the list of "unlucky people in the imperial examination" early... Their struggles and successes and failures reflect the changes in the social history and culture of the Tang Dynasty. The counterattack of the bottom will always be the source of social vitality and the most touching history. The farther we can see into the past, the farther we can see into the future.

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