Government
- Above: Empress Wu
- Government was a meritocracy.
- To become an official, you had to pass the civil service exam. If you passed, you could become an official, no matter what your social status is.
- Empress Wu was the only female ruler during the Tang dynasty. She saw her children as incompetent rulers and decided to hold the throne until her death. Although she was not well-liked, she was a good ruler who chose her advisors according to their abilities instead of their military rank which was what was done in the past.
- China was divided into 10 political districts which later changed to 15.