there was widespread dissatisfaction with the eight-legged essay during the qing dynasty. in the beginning of the kangxi reign, the state under the rule of the four regents issued an order revoking the need to use "baguwen" in all civil service exams, although the order was later repealed. the qianlong emperor said that he could not comprehend the eight-legged essays written by many exam-takers. the eight-legged essay was abolished in 1905 by the guangxu emperor. in total, the eight-legged essay was included in china's civil service examination for over 1,000 years and thus assumed a historically important role.