The poem writing contest was considered to be the most challenging competition for liberal arts students, as most of them were not as talented as Cao Zhi. (Cao Zhi was an accomplished poet who lived in the late Han Dynasty in ancient China and was able to make a verse while taking seven steps.) A contestant had to write a poem in classical Chinese within 5 minutes on an assigned topic and then gave it to a hostess, who would read it out for the judges.

The topic for the first ...