Abstract:
The early State Examination required only writing on the assigned topic. However, down to the imperial title of Xianqing in the reign of Emperor of Gaozong and that of Kaiyuan in the reign of Emperor of Xuanzong, the forms of examination were improved to involve essay writing in diverse styles, such as poetry, poetic essay, persuasion, illustration, argumentation, memorial report, extolment, and praise and showed a balance between fact and fiction. After that, the state examination failed to hold to the fine tradition and took frequent deviations, either emphasizing partially rhetorical ability by examining only poem and poetic essay writing, or emphasizing partially factual writing by testing only writing in diverse styles, such as persuasion, illustration, argumentation, memorial report, extolment, and praise, hence gaining a rain of criticism. The styles of the state examinees in answering the examination papers were basically similar to the styles of essay required by the state examination. In this way their papers were likely to be accepted and appreciated by the eminent official and examiners, which would pave the path for their employment. It is hard to exclude the case that some examinees answered the paper by writing in a fiction style, but it can be determined that this style went against the style of essay writing, the mainstream style of the state examination in those days. So the state examinees in those days were not likely to have written in the style of fiction writing, let alone promote the prosperity of fiction writing in the day.
