The Highest Exam
How the Gaokao Shapes China
Hongbin Li author Ruixue Jia author Claire Cousineau author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Harvard University Press
Publishing:26th Sep '25
£24.95
This title is due to be published on 26th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Combining personal narratives with decades of research, a vivid account of how the gaokao—China’s high-stakes college admissions test—shapes that society and influences education debates in the United States.
Each year, more than ten million students across China pin their hopes on the gaokao, the nationwide college entrance exam. Unlike in the United States, where standardized tests are just one factor, in China college admission is determined entirely by gaokao performance. It is no wonder the test has become a national obsession.
Drawing on extensive surveys, historical research, and economic analysis, and informed by Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li’s own experiences of the gaokao gauntlet, The Highest Exam reveals how China’s education system functions as a centralized tournament. It explains why preparation for the gaokao begins even before first grade—and why, given its importance for upward mobility, Chinese families are behaving rationally when they devote immense quantities of money and effort to acing the test. It shows how the exam system serves the needs of the Chinese Communist Party and drives much of the country’s economic growth. And it examines the gaokao’s far-reaching effects on China’s society, as the exam’s promise of meritocracy encourages citizens to focus on individual ability at the expense of considering socioeconomic inequalities.
What’s more, as the book makes clear, the gaokao is now also shaping debates around education in the United States. As Chinese-American families bring the expectations of the highest exam with them, their calls for objective, transparent metrics in the education system increasingly clash with the more holistic measures of achievement used by American schools and universities.
If you want to understand Chinese society, education is perhaps the best place to start. And Chinese education is all about the gaokao, the college entrance examination. With The Highest Exam, Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li have done a remarkable job of combining their personal stories with eye-opening statistics and analysis of the larger system. This is an important, thoughtful book. -- Peter Hessler, author of River Town and Oracle Bones
China is unique in many ways, but we don’t know which aspect is the most significant. This book proposes that its examination culture is the key, opening up a whole new way of thinking about the economic differences in the world. Profound and fascinating in equal measure. -- James A. Robinson, Nobel laureate and coauthor of Why Nations Fail
China’s nationwide college entrance exam, which looms large over the life of students and families, is rarely discussed in depth outside the country. Now, Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li examine the roots and implications of this exceptional Chinese institution, expanding the discussion in unexpected ways and demonstrating its global significance. Drawing on their own life stories, they offer an account that is moving, personal, and often even funny. Highly recommended. -- Barry Naughton, author of The Chinese Economy
In this fascinating book, Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li combine their professional expertise as economists with their personal experiences of studying in China and parenting in the US to examine the Chinese education system, which they characterize as a centralized hierarchical tournament. They show how it both shapes and reflects Chinese society—and increasingly influences the education experience in America as well. -- Alvin Roth, Nobel laureate and author of Who Gets What—and Why
Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li have written a remarkable book that combines history, data, and personal experience to paint a unique, deep, and rich portrait of the Chinese education system and its culture. They show us not only its implications for China, but how it sheds light on education beyond China and its role in society. -- Matthew O. Jackson, author of The Human Network
ISBN: 9780674295391
Dimensions: 210mm x 140mm x 16mm
Weight: 428g
256 pages