| dc.description.abstract | “San-yuan” (三元, to become the first in all three levels of civil service examination) is a distinguished accomplishment in Chinese civil service examinations. There were only thirteen San-yuan in Chinese history and Shang Lu (商輅) was the only San-yuan in Ming dynasty. However, there have been few academic works on him. This thesis will study Shang Lu with an emphasis on his life and career.
The reason that Shang Lu was so successful in the examinations is related to his background and his own diligent efforts. He grew up in the Jiang-nan area that was famous for rich, populous and scholarly context. In addition to his fortune and also supports from high imposition people, he had devoted lots of time in preparing for the examinations. Even he failed a few times, he finally passed all the examinations and became the first graduate in all three examinations.
Shang Lu served the Ming government for 22 years. Quite a few important events, such as the consequences of the Tumu incident, the Defense of Beijing, and the incident of “forcing the gate”, happened in this period. At this turning point of Ming history, the politics was getting gloom with the internal disorders caused by eunuchs and external invasions from outside the country. Shang Lu could survive in this dark period, was promoted to the rank the Minister of Personnel and retired with the position of Junior Guardian. The reason he could earn respect at this turbulent period was because he has kept a life of integrity and frugality with an attitude to regulate himself with rigid discipline and to treat others with generosity.
From his work Shang Wenyi Shugao (商文毅疏稿 Draft Memorials of Shang Wenyi) , collected writings, and the chronicle of his life, we are able to understand his political thought and his management of political matters. In his Draft Memorials, he shed his views in contemporary politics and in making suggestions to correct political and social problems. Though his contributions could not be seen immediately, many of his suggestions proved to be useful in later times. Shang Lu was a sagacious minister in the Ming dynasty and was distinguished in his virtue, meritorious achievements, and his teachings. | en_US |