Based on translations of an unique Tang text, the Collected Statements, this work explores a worthy social commentary on the examination life that its compiler witnessed.

Gradually providing a full picture of the civil service examination, it describes the emergence of the literary culture surrounding civil service examination recruitment during China's Tang dynasty (618-907); considers the series of rituals that Tang examination candidates underwent throughout the annual examinations; contrasts lavish court ceremonies of the early Tang period with more private rituals of acknowledgement that became fashionable in the second half of the dynasty.

An annual programme of rituals became the cardinal definition of examination recruitment for both participants and onlookers. With valuable insights into the political and social tensions in the Tang history of competitive examination degrees.

Oliver Moore, Ph.D. (1993), Chinese History, University of Cambridge, is Lecturer in the Art and Material Culture of China at Leiden University. His publications on aspects of Chinese writing and painting include Reading the Past: Chinese (British Museum Press, 2000).