At its heart, Chinese education is an exam system. What makes this system distinctive? “The Highest Exam” traces its origins in imperial China and its evolution into today’s national college entrance exam, showing how it became deeply woven into governance, family life and social values. Drawing on both personal experience and statistical evidence, the authors show how individual destinies are tied to a larger system that functions like a centralized, hierarchical tournament. Speaker: Ruixue Jia, Professor of Economics, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy; Co-director, China Data Lab, 21st Century China Center Moderator: Margaret Roberts, Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego; Co-director, China Data Lab, 21st Century China Center UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy on Facebook / Instagram