Li Suiqiu's examination-related social engagements and theories of examination essay writing

CHEN Qiru

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1008-018X.2025.04.001

Abstract：Li Suiqiu is renowned as a late-Ming poet and examination essay theorist from Nanhai of Guangdong.His examination essay theories are mostly collected in Lian Xu Ge Wen Chao(manuscript copies of Lai Sui-kiu's literary works).Li actively participated in literary societies across Zhejiang and Anhui regions,effectively transmitting Lingnan literary traditions and scholarship beyond its geographical confines while fostering cross-regional literary exchanges.Li's interpretation of literary principles in examination essays manifested pronounced pragmatism,emphasizing both encyclopedic breadth and hermeneutic depth in Confucian learning,with textual composition centering on"loyal righteousness"(Zhongyi)and"practical application"(Zhiyong).His stylistic methodology coalesced temporal evolutionism and archaist revitalization theory.Regarding Ming examination essay transformations,Li provided extensive annotations and reflections on the doctrine of"original vein"(Yuanmai),critiquing its"single-lamp transmission"paradigm as detrimental to stylistic development.The archaist theory advocated"adapting ancient prose for contemporary essays",prioritizing structural elegance,literati wit,and philosophical profundity.Distinctly regional in character,Li's examination essay theories analytically addressed three developmental constraints in Lingnan's examination culture:restricted textual dissemination,conservative scholarly mentality,and impediments to intellectual exchange.His preliminary delineation of Lingnan's examination essay evolution constitutes the earliest systematic articulation of regional examination theories in Lingnan.