Exhibition Title: Galloping on the Wings of Success: Exhibition on Guangdong’s Zhuangyuan Culture
Date: October 26, 2021 to February 28, 2022
Venue: Temporary Exhibition Hall, 2nd Floor, Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum
The title "Zhuangyuan" referred to the highest honor in the imperial examination system.
First recorded in the Tang dynasty, the term designated the top scorer in the palace examination. A person who attained this honor was praised as “the foremost talent under heaven,” and Zhuangyuan Jidi — “achieving first place in the examinations” — represented the lifelong aspiration of generations of scholars. The culture surrounding the pursuit of becoming Zhuangyuan upheld reverence for knowledge and learning, championed idealism, and left a lasting imprint on social life — an influence that continues to this day.
The famous lines "My high horse proudly gallops with the gentle breeze of Spring. In one day I see all Chang'an flowers that make my heart sing" by the Tang poet Meng Jiao were composed after he passed the imperial examinations and express his overwhelming joy at achieving scholarly success. On October 26, 2021, the exhibition Galloping on the Wings of Success — Guangdong’s Zhuangyuan Culture opened in the Temporary Exhibition Hall on the second floor of the Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum.
Through sections such as The Making of a Zhuangyuan, Stories of Guangdong’s Zhuangyuan, and Zhuangyuan Culture in Our Time, the exhibition systematically explores Guangdong’s imperial examination heritage, presenting the life trajectories and achievements of Guangdong’s Zhuangyuan and promoting fine traditional culture to strengthen cultural confidence.
Highlights of the Exhibition
