ABSTRACT
The early Tang dynasty in the seventh century marked the most splendid and satisfying period in the history of China's imperial era. The central government of the Tang was organized into six departments: personnel, revenue, rites, defense, justice, and public works. The Tang, having institutionalized the civil service examinations and consolidated the power of appointment, found Confucian morality more than ever an essential guideline to its governance. A social impact of the open-examination system was the breaking of the domination of governmental offices by the powerful clans. The early Tang continued the internal expansion of China. The tragedy of China was that the unification of an enormous empire was realized before local institutions and technological capacities had an opportunity to develop and mature. Conflicting ground rules offered numerous ways for leading politicians to work out their game plans, and this fact became central to the political history of China.
