Functions of the Imperial Examination System and the Formation of the Imperial Examination Oriented Society

In the long history, the imperial examination (IE) system had formed its multiple functions in education, culture and politics. It also infiltrated into all aspects of Chinese society. Since the Song Dynasty, the important influence of this system and its position in politics turned ancient China into an IE oriented society, featured by criterions of evaluating and choosing the talents according to their intelligence and ability. In federal China, the social transition from family status orientation to IE orientation indicated urgent social and cultural needs: to shake off personal interference and to pursue social equity. Influenced by it, people in China still have an examination complex today.