Fu Shanxiang
| Fu Shanxiang | |
|---|---|
| 傅善祥 | |
| Chancelloress of the East Kingdom of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom | |
|
In office 1851–1864 |
|
| Monarch | Yang Xiuqing (East King) |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1833 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China |
| Died | 1864 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China |
Fu Shanxiang (Chinese: 傅善祥; 1833 – 1864) was a Chinese scholar from Nanjing who became Chancellor under the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was nearly successful in its attempts to overthrow the Qing dynasty in the 1850s. Fu is known as the first female Zhuangyuan (highest candidate in the imperial civil service examinations) in Chinese history.
The historical record on Fu Shanxiang is brief and unclear, but scholars agree on the outlines. She was a daughter of the scholar Fu Qizheng, a native of Nanjing, who was orphaned at an early age. The rebel armies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom took control of the city in 1853, and proclaimed revolutionary social policies, including the equality of women. They arranged the first examinations for women in the history of China. The exam was held on January 13, 1853, the birthday of the Taiping Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan. Fu achieved the highest score, earning her the title Zhuangyuan, the first time in Chinese history that the honor had been earned by a woman. After her success, no more examinations for women were held.
Fu was appointed Chancelloress in the court of Yang Xiuqing, the East King (Dong Wang), where she dealt with correspondence and official papers. Since Yang was illiterate, having been orphaned at an early age and receiving no schooling, Fu Shanxiang read documents aloud to him. She issued pardons in Yang's name for many who had broken the laws against opium and alcohol.
However, at one point she spoke disrespectfully to Yang, and may have been smoking tobacco or using alcohol, each of which was in itself a capital offense under the puritanical Taiping codes. At Yang's request, the Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan, issued "An Edict Condemning A Chancelloress," which noted that while drunk, Fu had insulted the East King and shown extreme disrespect. Alcohol was forbidden in the Taiping Kingdom, therefore her punishment should have been immediate decapitation. But Hong took into account her record of good service and that she was under the influence of alcohol when she lost control of her words (the nature of the words is not indicated). Hong decreed that the "lightest punishment will be given," namely that Fu should wear the cangue on seven Sabbath days, after which she could regain office and redeem herself.
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