Famous historical figures who failed 'gaokao'

Wu Jingzi (1701-1754), a Chinese writer from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Wu was born into an affluent family and his father was a Qing official. He sat for the imperial examination but did not do well. Afterwards, he doubted the reasonableness of the keju system and opposed it. He disliked the trend of chasing fame and fortune through keju as the scholars of his day liked to do. In his book "The Scholars" which took him nearly 20 years to write, he satirized and mocked the scholars of his day. The book was considered a classic and prime work of satirical novels in Chinese literature.

A portrait of Wu Jingzi at his former residence in Quanjiao, Anhui province, March 4, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

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