Abstract:
The Collection of Bizarre Stories in the Tea House approved of the system of imperial examination on the one hand, thinking that the system provided scholars with opportunities to win official ranks and serve the nation. On the other, however, it was enraged with the system for corruption and bribery exposed in its administration. In fact, the author’s condemnation of corruption in the imperial examination system was exaggerated out of his personal feelings, thus undermining the positive function of the system. Therefore, a reinterpretation of the view of the system of imperial examination in The Collection of Bizarre Stories in the Tea House will cast some light on our understanding of this system in Chinese history.
