China 101
Kaogong (civil service exams)
考公
Taking China's civil service examinations, an increasingly popular path to a stable government job, with applicants at record highs and competition ratios that can reach thousands to one.
Kaogong means sitting the national or provincial civil service exams to win a government position, traditionally called an iron rice bowl for its security. The exams test reasoning, policy knowledge, and essay writing, and popular posts attract staggering competition, sometimes thousands of applicants per opening.
Applications have climbed to record levels in the 2020s as the private sector cooled: layoffs in tech and a tougher job market pushed graduates toward stability, and years of professional exam-prep bootcamps industrialized the path. Succeeding is called shang an, coming ashore, language that reveals how turbulent the alternative feels.
The kaogong wave is a window into shifting youth priorities: the generation once told to chase startup dreams now queues for government desks. Chinese media debates whether the talent flowing into bureaucracy signals pragmatism or a loss of dynamism.