By the early 8th century the Wen Xuan had become an important text that all young men were expected to master in preparation for literary examinations.Knechtges (1982): 54. Famed poet Du Fu advised his son Du Zongwu to "master thoroughly the principles of the Wen Xuan." Copies of the Wen Xuan were obtained by nearly all families that could afford them in order to help their sons study the literary styles of the works it contained. This practice continued into the Song dynasty until the imperial examination reforms of the late 11th century. In the mid-16th century, during the Ming dynasty, an abridged version of the Wen Xuan was created to help aspiring officials study composition for the eight-legged essays on Ming-era imperial exams.Knechtges (1982): 57.
