Empress Wu Zetian is the only female emperor in the history of China. She possessed extraordinary abilities, established the Wu Zhou dynasty, implemented reasonable governance policies, and promoted a thriving cultural development. She was the pioneer of the “anonymous examination system” to reduce cheating in imperial examinations, selecting talented individuals from impoverished backgrounds and breaking the monopoly of noble families.
This invention by Wu Zetian is still utilized in China and many countries around the world today. Despite being a woman, Wu Zetian ascended to the throne as an emperor. Apart from her ruthless strategies, her political acumen and vision cannot be overlooked.
In fact, among the hundreds of emperors in feudal history, Wu Zetian’s capabilities undoubtedly rank among the top. If we were to evaluate or describe her life, it is essential to view her actions from the perspective of a politician.
After usurping the Tang dynasty and establishing her own dynasty, Wu Zetian always held a hostile attitude towards the noble families loyal to the Tang. Therefore, she decided to strongly support candidates from impoverished backgrounds.
In reality, during that period, only candidates from poor backgrounds would express gratitude for her support. Most noble families even looked down on the Tang dynasty, let alone her—a female emperor who usurped the Tang and founded her own dynasty.
Driven by the need to consolidate her power, impoverished candidates and scholars became her top choice for support.
The examination system established by Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty achieved true glory under Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian strongly promoted the imperial examination system.
Before her dynasty, although the Tang dynasty organized examinations, official positions remained in the hands of wealthy families, and the role of the examination system was not fully realized. As a result, Wu Zetian vigorously promoted the organization of talent selection examinations, for which she reformed and invented the “anonymous examination system.”
Before the introduction of the anonymous examination system, cheating and favoritism were common. (Photo: baidu.com).
Prior to the emergence of the “anonymous examination system”, examination papers were not confidential, and examiners could directly see the names of candidates, which undoubtedly led to instances of cheating and favoritism.
In fact, due to the severity of cheating and bias, the imperial court always struggled to select truly talented individuals, resulting in most officials being mediocre and incompetent. Therefore, Wu Zetian decided to implement radical reforms to change this situation, but initially, she did not support the examination system.
Wu Zetian initially also applied a nomination system for a period. However, after some time, she realized that among the nominated individuals, many had mixed qualifications and were not genuinely capable. Their presence rendered the Wu Zhou court highly ineffective in governance. It can be said that the examination system was the method Wu Zetian ultimately adopted after struggling to find ways to recruit talent.
The “anonymous examination system” she proposed directly guided the imperial examination process in the right direction, becoming the only path for impoverished candidates and scholars to enter official examinations and achieve results that reflected their true abilities.
Wu Zetian mandated that the imperial examinations not only required participation but also demanded that candidates’ names be concealed on their papers. Examiners would grade the papers without knowing the candidates’ identities, ensuring the selection of genuinely talented officials.
Moreover, after examiners assessed candidates’ abilities through their papers, Wu Zetian conducted direct evaluations within the palace. She would create questions on the spot, requiring candidates to provide answers, and she personally selected the top scorers of the examinations.
These talented individuals were not only crucial pillars in consolidating Wu Zetian’s rule but some later became renowned officials who assisted Emperor Xuanzong during the “Kaiyuan Era”, such as Yao Chong and Song Jing…
The emphasis on and widespread implementation of the anonymous examination system made the selection and utilization of talent more convincing for the imperial court. Appointments and dismissals of officials were no longer solely based on experience and impressions but on the achievements attained in the selection examinations. This eliminated a significant number of mediocre individuals lacking skills, freeing the court from the burden of supporting idle persons, thus allowing the Tang dynasty to operate more efficiently.
Additionally, during the Song dynasty, the practice of anonymity in examinations was commonly referred to as “sealing”, meaning that a candidate’s name, hometown, and preliminary information at the top of the examination paper would be sealed or cut off to prevent examiners from engaging in cheating or favoritism. In 992, the Chief of the Examination Bureau, Chen Jing, submitted a proposal to implement the anonymous system in imperial examinations, which was accepted by Emperor Taizong of Song. In 1008, the anonymity law was enacted for provincial examinations.
After applying the anonymity method, Emperor Zhenzong of Song happily told Prime Minister Wang Dan and other officials that: “Those nominated this year are very anxious about participating in anonymous examinations, but those with real abilities are quite fond of it.”
It can be said that the anonymous examination system invented by Wu Zetian has been utilized to this day. When taking examinations, we must still avoid leaving personal information such as identifiers or names on our papers, ensuring complete confidentiality until the grading is finished.
The invention of the anonymous examination system aimed to prevent favoritism and cheating. Although it cannot completely eradicate cheating in examinations, it has significantly reduced such occurrences.
In fact, Wu Zetian’s accomplishments go far beyond this. Just her vigorous promotion of the imperial examination system is enough to make her famous in history. However, due to her status as a woman, many future generations held prejudices against her, believing she overly glorified power and that her path to usurpation of the throne was not righteous.
