Hongbin Li | The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China

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Lecture

Mon, Sep 28, 2026

4:30 PM – 6 PM EDT (GMT-4)

Please select a time slot

Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room A71

Princeton, NJ 08544, United States

Details

Each year, more than ten million Chinese students sit for the gaokao, the nationwide college entrance examination that largely determines access to higher education and future career opportunities. More than an exam, the gaokao is a foundational institution that shapes family behavior, social mobility, political governance, and economic development in contemporary China.
Drawing on decades of research, original surveys, historical evidence, and personal narratives, The Highest Exam argues that China’s education system functions as a massive meritocratic tournament that has helped produce the human capital behind the country’s remarkable economic transformation and technological rise. The book explores how the gaokao has contributed to China’s emergence as a leading competitor to the United States in science, technology, and innovation, while also generating intense educational pressure and social inequality. By examining the promises and tensions of exam-based meritocracy, The Highest Exam offers a unique lens for understanding China’s success, its challenges, and the growing debate over merit, opportunity, and educational excellence in both China and the United States.

Where

Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room A71

Princeton, NJ 08544, United States

Speakers

Hongbin Li's profile photo

Hongbin Li

Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and Professor of Economics

Stanford University

Hongbin Li is a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and Professor of Economics (by courtesy) at Stanford University. A leading scholar of the Chinese economy, he earned his Ph.D. from Stanford in 2001 and subsequently held professorships at Tsinghua University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His widely cited research has influenced academic and policy debates on education, fertility, inequality, environment, political institutions, and economic reforms in China. His latest book, The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China, was recognized by The Economist as one of its Best Books of the Year.



 


Sponsors

Paul and Marcia Wythes Center on Contemporary China. No image description provided

Hosted By

Center on Contemporary China | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Princeton Institute for International & Regional Studies, Center on Contemporary China (OWNER)