Zhuangyuan , or 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 , Metropolitan examination [ ja ] (in the Tang dynasty ) and Palace examination [ zh ] (in the Song dynasty ) in ancient China and Vietnam.
20-660: 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
40-494: A jia or tcha ( Chinese : 枷 ) is a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in East Asia and some other parts of Southeast Asia until the early years of the twentieth century. It was also occasionally used for or during torture. Because it restricted a person's movements, it was common for people wearing cangues to starve to death as they were unable to feed themselves. The word "cangue"
60-432: A cangue should be made from seasoned wood and weigh 25, 20 or 15 jīn (roughly 20–33 lb or 9–15 kg) depending on the nature of the crime involved. Often the cangue was large enough that the prisoner required assistance to eat or drink, as his hands could not reach his own mouth, or even lie down. By the 17th century, the typical cangue had become lighter and was used primarily for public humiliation. Even so, it
80-601: 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 too high that it was virtually unachievable. In total, there were 596 zhuangyuan in ancient China. In total, there were 56 trạng nguyên in ancient Vietnam. In modern Chinese, zhuangyuan
100-462: A prisoner's neck, and then fastened shut along the edges by locks or hinges. The opening in the center was large enough for the prisoner to breathe and eat, but not large enough for a head to slip through. The prisoner was confined in the cangue for a period of time as a punishment. The size and especially weight were varied as a measure of severity of the punishment. The Great Ming Legal Code [ zh ] (大明律) published in 1397 specified that
120-475: Is French , from the Portuguese "canga," which means yoke , the carrying tool has also been used to the same effect, with the hands tied to each arm of the yoke. Frequently translated as pillory , it was similar to that European punishment except that the movement of the prisoner's hands was not as rigorously restricted and that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base and had to be carried around by
140-500: Is presented in the 1943 play Tianguo chunqiu by Yang Hansheng as having a romance with Yang Xiuqing leading to a tragic conclusion because of jealousy with Hong Xuanjiao , sister of Hong Xiuquan . This incident also appears in the 2000 CCTV series, The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom , and her fate is depicted in a section of Xu Xaobin's 1998 novel, Yu she , translated as Feathered Serpent . Cangue A cangue ( / k æ ŋ / KANG ), in Chinese referred to as
160-435: 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. Fu Shanxiang Fu Shanxiang ( Chinese : 傅善祥 ; 1833 – 1864)
180-619: The Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan , issued "An Edict Condemning A Chancelloress," which noted that while drunk, Fu had insulted the East King and shown extreme disrespect. Alcohol was forbidden in the Taiping Kingdom, therefore her punishment should have been immediate decapitation. But Hong took into account her record of good service and that she was under the influence of alcohol when she lost control of her words (the nature of
200-552: The Taiping Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan . Fu achieved the highest score, earning her the title Zhuangyuan , the first and only time in Chinese history that the honor had been earned by a woman. After her success, no more examinations for women were held. Fu was appointed Chancelloress in the court of Yang Xiuqing , the East King (Dong Wang) , where she dealt with correspondence and official papers. Since Yang
220-483: The heroes of former times should in fact be honored. She earned Yang's praise when she wrote Yang Xiuqing was assassinated in September, 1856, presumably on Hong's orders, and thousands of his followers killed. Fu was not killed in this slaughter, but committed suicide in 1864 by poison when the emperor's forces began recapturing Nanjing . Fu Shanxiang caught the attention of later playwrights and novelists. She
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#1732793149544240-406: The outlines. She was a daughter of the scholar Fu Qizheng, a native of Nanjing , who was orphaned at an early age. The rebel armies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom took control of the city in 1853, and proclaimed revolutionary social policies, including equality for women. They arranged the first examinations for women in the history of China. The exam was held on January 13, 1853, the birthday of
260-440: The prisoner. At times, the cangue was used as a general means of restraining prisoners along with manacles and leg chains; this was true particularly of those with grave sentences or low social standing. Although there are many different forms, a typical cangue would consist of a large, heavy flat board with a hole in the center large enough for a person's neck. The board consisted of two pieces. These pieces were closed around
280-465: The supports would be removed, forcing the cangue to slowly strangle him. Historically cangues were used in rituals of penance in Chinese folk religion . These cangues either resembled the traditional wooden ones or were made out of three swords tied together or paper. Similar to its use as a torture and public humiliation device the penitent writes their sins on the board and parades themselves through
300-409: The word of God, declared that the heroes of the Chinese past were to be respected and certain core values maintained. His orders responded to the unease of many people in newly occupied areas who did not agree with Hong Xiuquan's radical program of attacking tradition. A rift opened between Yang and Hong. Because he respected her knowledge of the classics, Yang ordered Fu to write an edict explaining why
320-582: The words is not indicated). Hong decreed that the "lightest punishment will be given," namely that Fu should wear the cangue on seven Sabbath days, after which she could regain office and redeem herself. Fu then wrote a letter of penitence in what she called "extreme fear of her unpardonable crime." She thanked Yang, the Eastern King, for his role in getting her such light punishment: Fu resumed her service, taking special responsibilities for women's hostels. In March 1854, Yang, delivering his edicts as
340-471: Was a Chinese scholar from Nanjing who became Chancellor under the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom , a rebel Chinese state opposed to the Qing dynasty in the 1850s. Fu is known as the first (and only) female Zhuangyuan in Chinese history (though her examinations were under the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom , not the Qing dynasty ). The historical record on Fu Shanxiang is brief and unclear, but scholars agree on
360-481: Was illiterate, having been orphaned at an early age and receiving no schooling, Fu Shanxiang read documents aloud to him. She issued pardons in Yang's name for many who had broken the laws against opium and alcohol. However, at one point she spoke disrespectfully to Yang, and may have been smoking tobacco or using alcohol, each of which was in itself a capital offense under the puritanical Taiping codes. At Yang's request,
380-400: Was intended to be worn continuously for periods as long as several months in severe cases, and a heavy cangue weighing as much as 160lbs (roughly 73 kg) could be used. The cangue would be placed on top of a cage, such that the prisoner's feet could not quite touch the ground. Supports would be placed under the feet initially, so that he would stand without pressure on the neck. Gradually,
400-529: 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
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