To recruit officials through open examinations was a great invention of ancient China. It even influenced the West in their formation of civil servants system in modern times.
In ancient China, as society developed, so did the system of recruiting officials. It was hereditary noble class before the Qin Dynasty that had managed and ruled the whole society for thousands of years on this land. That is say, hereditary officialdom and emoluments had maintained the management of the kingdoms so long. Following patriarch principles, the king gave enrollments according to the closeness of blood relationship. Since the Han Dynasty, a system of assessment and recommendation was adopted. Local governments recommended talents to the court so as to have them examined and appointed. Since the Sui Dynasty, the system of imperial examinations was gradually established. This became the main source of officials for later dynasties.
Unlike former recruitment, the imperial examination system allowed the participation of people from all social stratums, regardless of family background or recommendations. All men, virtuous and healthy, could sit the exams. This enhanced the interfusing of classes and strengthened the social foundation for the ruling political power.
Imperial examinations were done openly, and candidates were chosen according to academic marks, usually a thesis about how to manage the society.  Experiences accumulated over the years resulted in a system of fair competition and systematic examination regulations. For instance, to avoid cheating, examinees were asked to live together in a place cut off from the outside world. Their family members were not allowed to sit the exam. Candidates were confined during examinations. And measures were taken to prevent cheating in the evaluation of test papers.
The path to officialdom through imperial examinations was hard and tough for ancient Chinese intellectuals. They had to go through county and provincial examinations first, which eliminated the majority. Only the lucky few could join the final palace examination that took place in the palace and was presided over by the emperor himself. When the examination was over the list of successful candidates was sung out and titles were granted. Winners would be escorted in a parade by palace guards of honor. People poured out into the streets to admire the new winners. "The night of one's wedding and the day when one's name appears on the golden list." Those were the happiest times for ancient intellectuals. Many tragedies began here too. For ten years, one had concentrated all his time and every over his books just in order to pass the exams and win a post, which doubtlessly caused the disposition of the personalities of many candidates.
Since the contents of imperial examinations were narrow and stereotyped, and since written examinations alone did not show the candidates' practical experience, the system of imperial examinations gradually lost its vitality and hindered the development of society. Nevertheless, this talent choosing system did play an active role in the feudal society either for cultural and educational development. The test system spurred the enthusiasm of hard-working spirits among the intellectuals, too. It also raised the quality of the officials and strengthened the social foundation of the ruling class by selecting the cream from all walks of life. The open and fair policies it upheld have a longstanding value though some of them were unrealized fully to the set extent due to social limitation hundred years ago.