Kai Lung’s Golden Hours · Chapter
The Story of Hien and the Chief Examiner explained
Chief Examiner Thang-li has a beautiful daughter, Fa Fei, who is courted by two suitors: the scholarly Tsin Lung and the bandit Hien.
What happens
Chief Examiner Thang-li has a beautiful daughter, Fa Fei, who is courted by two suitors: the scholarly Tsin Lung and the bandit Hien. Thang-li, unwilling to choose between them, devises a literary examination to decide the matter. Fa Fei secretly aids Hien by giving him a scroll of verses to memorize, but Tsin Lung discovers and memorizes one of the poems. During a chaotic examination hall incident, both men produce identical correct lines, forcing Thang-li to make a final decision.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Devotion
Fa Fei's secret aid to Hien and her desire to follow her own choice in marriage reflect themes of romantic devotion and filial tension.
Wisdom and Cunning
Thang-li's strategy of using a literary contest to avoid choosing a suitor, and Fa Fei's clever plan to help Hien, highlight the use of wit and deception.
Social Class and Hierarchy
The contrast between Hien (a bandit) and Tsin Lung (a scholar) underscores class distinctions, while the examination system serves as a means of social mobility.
Characters to notice
- Thang - li
Chief Examiner of Literary Competitions for Ho Chow; father of Fa Fei; devises a literary contest between Hien and Tsin Lung to decide his daughter's suitor.
- Fa Fei
Daughter of Thang-li; beautiful and accomplished; secretly aids Hien by giving him a scroll of verses to memorize for the examination.
- Hien Nan
A bandit suitor of Fa Fei; receives secret help from Fa Fei in the form of a scroll of poems; competes in the literary examination against Tsin Lung.
- Tsin Lung
A scholarly suitor of Fa Fei; discovers and memorizes one of the poems from Fa Fei's hidden package; competes in the examination against Hien.
- Kong
Emperor during whose reign the examination hall incident occurs; his attempt to replace a classic causes chaos among candidates.
Key passages
“The Great Middle Kingdom in which we live is not only inhabited by the most enlightened, humane and courteous-minded race, but is itself fittingly the central and most desirable point of the Universe, surrounded by other less favoured countries peopled by races of pigtailless men and large-footed women, all destitute of refined intelligence.”
Fa Fei recites a patriotic speech about China being the center of the universe, surrounded by inferior foreign races.
This reflects the cultural and ethnocentric worldview of the time.
“In such a case, a very wise man does not act; but maintaining an impassive countenance, he awaits the unrolling of events until he sees what must inevitably take place. It is thus that his reputation for wisdom is built up.”
Thang-li advises that a wise man avoids making decisions and lets events unfold naturally to preserve his reputation for wisdom.
This highlights Thang-li's cunning and passive approach to resolving the suitor dilemma.