The development of bureaucracy in Han China was meant to solve feudalism. Feudalism is a weak government without central rule that lacks authority. Prior to the Han Dynasty, the Zhou was ruled through regional leaders, and the Qin was ruled through one unpopular, brutal emperor. The bureaucracy created during the Han retained central rule and acknowledged that royal relatives are not reliable. It sought the middle way between the Zhou and Qin, by keeping things that worked and getting rid of things that did not work. It also created civil service tests, allowing educated people to be involved in the government. This meant that the Emperor was no longer the only person to have a say in government, because the bureaucrats restricted his power.
