The Story of Song Dynasty Aristocratic Families Rising from the Perspective of the Imperial Examination Society:A Case Study of the Zhang Family of Pucheng
The story of the Zhang family's rise in Pucheng appears on the surface to be a celebration of Lady Lian's great righteousness in saving the entire city.In reality,it serves to sanctify the family's rise story,meeting the practical need to unite and strengthen the clan.It contains the intention of seeking heavenly mandate to justify the clan's entry into and establishment as a multi-generational official family,as well as to enhance the clan's sanctity.The widespread recording and dissemination of the Zhang family's rising story by literati is an expression and promotion of the"predestined imperial examination success"theory in Song dynasty examination society.The prevalence of predestined success narratives during the Song dynasty can be attributed to their capacity to mitigate certain contradictions inherent in an examination-based society.The social concepts propagated by the origin stories of Song dynasty aristocratic families were able to form and gain widespread social acceptance undoubtedly due to the influence of traditional political culture,such as educating through Shendao.
Song DynastyAristocratic FamiliesZhang FamilyStory of Family RisingPredestined Imperial Examination Success
万方数据
