Travel Guides for Juren
Juren Lin Botong from Guangdong traveled to Beijing numerous times for the metropolitan exam from the age of twenty-seven to forty-two, failing on each occasion. Travel Guides for Juren is a compilation of all his travel experiences, namely a comprehensive guide of knowledge on taking the exams: selecting routes, seeking suitable travel companions, renting vehicles and employing laborers, luggage, local specialties such as food and drink, as well as stationary and other supplies. Traveling to Beijing for the metropolitan exam was considered official business, and vessels with exam candidates on board could hang the banner “Metropolitan Examination on Imperial Order.” According to Imperially Prescribed Guidelines for Civil Examination Grounds, candidates were provided travel allowance; in reality, however, the meager amount was insufficient, forcing scholars to carefully consider how to make their way. Five common routes from Guangdong to Beijing are detailed in Lin’s work, which are analyzed in terms of time, expenses, degree of fatigue, and scenic sites, demonstrating that transboundary travel routes candidates took in the mid-Qing were diverse and prevalent.
Five Routes from Guangdong to Beijing for the Imperial Examinations in Travel Guides for Juren
Five Routes from Guangdong to Beijing for the Imperial Examinations in Travel Guides for Juren
- Item No.
- 089.75 225 v.16
- Notes
- Written by Lin Botong (1774–1844)
