Two anecdotal collections in the late Tang, with narratives that revolve around events in the annual civil service examination, nonetheless point to an urban network of highly evaluative, consumptive, and performative relationships in the capital of Chang’an. Particularly noteworthy are the ways in which these anecdotes show us how information might have been propagated in the urban milieu, ranging from gossip from the demimonde to news and updates in the ubiquitous circuit in which literati reputation was made and updated.
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