The ancient imperial exams, on which the Chinese bureaucracy was built, continues to inspire modern talent. The soaring popularity of the nation's civil service exam is a clear indication.

A team in China used ancient DNA to reconstruct the face of an emperor who reigned 1,500 years ago. Emperor Wu was the ruler of the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 578 CE.

Ancient DNA recovered from the remains of a sixth century Chinese emperor who ruled during the country’s dark ages has shed some light on what the leader may have looked like.