Founding of the Tang dynasty and the examination system
- Date
- 618 CE (exams regularized 622)
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- China
- Era
- Post-Classical / Medieval
- Significance
On 18 June 618 Li Yuan, known by his temple name Gaozu, proclaimed the Tang dynasty after the collapse of the Sui, inaugurating a regime that would preside over one of the most cosmopolitan and culturally brilliant eras in Chinese history.
From 622 the Tang regularised the civil-service examination system inherited from the Sui, recruiting officials by competitive written tests, including the prestigious jinshi degree that examined essays on governance and the composition of poetry. The examinations were intended to break the monopoly of aristocratic clans and open the bureaucracy to talented men selected by merit; by the late seventh century the jinshi had become the primary route to high office. The Tang capital Chang'an grew into one of the world's largest cities, a hub of Silk Road trade where Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism mingled. The examination meritocracy became a defining and enduring feature of Chinese government, imitated across East Asia and admired by later European reformers.
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Empires active in 618 CE (exams regularized 622)
- Tang Dynasty618 CE – 907 CE
- Sassanid Empire224 CE – 651 CE
- Byzantine Empire330 CE – 1453 CE
- Classic Maya Civilization250 CE – 900 CE
- Kingdom of Aksum100 CE – 940 CE
- Tibetan Empire618 CE – 842 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Sui reunification of China under Emperor Wen589 CE
- Justinian codifies Roman law in the Corpus Juris Civilis529-534 CE
- The First Fitna and rise of the Umayyads656–661 CE
- Emperor Kanmu founds Heian-kyo, opening Japan's classical golden ageNovember 17, 794 CE
- Charlemagne crowned Emperor of the Romans25 December 800 CE
- Wu Zetian Proclaims the Zhou Dynasty and Becomes China's Only Female Emperor16 October 690 CE
Further reading
The wider story
China's Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty
Readable survey of Tang China (Harvard History of Imperial China).
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