The system of the Imperial Examination, or Keju in Chinese, became the method by which talented people were recognized and selected for future positions in civil service. It began to be put into practice in the Sui Dynasty and lasted more than 1,300 years until the last examination during the Qing Dynasty. Thus it enjoyed a long and dominant position in the history of ancient Chinese education.
The imperial examinations comprised two parts namely an arts exam and the wushu exam. The arts examination includeds composition, study of books, laws, calligraphy, paintings and so on, while the wushu examination was used for selecting military officials but was not subject to the same degree of importance as the arts
