Origin of Imperial Examination in Sui Dynasty

It was during the Sui Dynasty that the many separate states were unified into a whole. To enforce the centralization of power, the emperor realized the need for a strong, well educated civil service, one that employed the best talents in the land. To bring this into effect the most influential system was initiated and substituted for what had gone before - Jiu Pin Zhong Zheng. Although it was immature at the outset, it inter-wove closely the three essentials for state officials, those of learning, examination and administration. This system proved to be fairer and more far-reaching than any that had preceded it.