More than 2.12 million people registered for China’s annual civil service examination that were held on November 28, 2021. The record number of applicants are competing for only 31,200 vacancies, giving them just a one-in-68 chance of success landing one of the government jobs. Also known as the guokao in Mandarin, the test is a pathway to civil service roles regarded as an “iron rice bowl” because of the security and money they offer.