太平天国女科考释

A Textual Research on Women Sitting for Imperial Examination During Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

太平天国是否开女科?在太平天国史研究领域和科举史研究领域都是令人困惑的问题。关于太平天国实行女科考试并诞生女状元傅善祥的史料现觅得至少9种。9条史料中,其中数条史料可互为印证,这些史料的作者是否串通一气作伪无法断言。分析9条史料,推论太平天国开女科及女状元傅善祥一说事出有因,而较为接近历史真相的推论是:太平天国女科系东王选拔人才的一次考试而非太平天国正式开科取士。

It is an unsettled issue whether Imperial Examination was ever open to women during Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. At least nine pieces of data have been found showing that Imperial Examination was once open to women during Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Fu Shanxiang, a female Zhuang Yuan, came out of it. It is uncertain whether the recorders of the nine pieces of data conspired to make up the story. A reasonable inference is that the examination open to women was one held by Yang Xiuqing, the then East King, but not a formal Imperial Examination.