New Book Explores China’s Gaokao and Its Profound Impact on Society
New Book Explores China’s Gaokao and Its Profound Impact on Society
"The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China", written by Ruixue Jia, Hongbin Li, and Claire Cousineau, combines rigorous research with compelling personal narratives to reveal how the gaokao has become much more than a test: it is a tool to shape China’s society and economy.
Imagine one test deciding your future. For millions of students in China every year, that test is the gaokao—the national university entrance exam and one of the most competitive educational systems in the world. Published by Harvard University Press in Fall 2025, The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China, takes readers inside this high-stakes exam and uncovers how it has shaped families, careers, and even the nation itself.
Written by leading scholars Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li, with writer and researcher Claire Cousineau, the book combines rigorous research with compelling personal narratives to reveal how the gaokao has become much more than a test: it is a tool to shape China’s society and economy.
The gaokao has long been considered one of the world’s most consequential educational exams. Each year, tens of millions of students sit for this high-stakes test that determines access to universities, career opportunities, and pathways of social mobility. The Highest Exam traces the gaokao’s historical origins and evolution, showing how it became deeply intertwined with China’s governance, social strata, and economy.
Through empirical analysis and personal narrative, the book illustrates how the exam system reflects broader themes in Chinese society: the pursuit of meritocracy, the tension between equality and advantage, and the state’s reliance on education to reinforce legitimacy. The authors aptly identify China’s education system as a centralized hierarchical tournament, returning to this framework in each section of the book: family, state, and society.
The Highest Exam also brings a comparative lens, contrasting China’s exam-driven system with education practices in the United States and beyond. It raises urgent questions about fairness, access, and the role of education in shaping societies—questions that resonate far beyond China’s borders.
Engaging and deeply researched, The Highest Exam is essential reading for anyone interested in education, global society, or the forces shaping the next generation.
About the Authors
Ruixue Jia is Professor of Economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego.
Hongbin Li is Co-director of Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions, and a Senior Fellow of Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University.
Claire Cousineau is a writer and former researcher at the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, she is currently pursuing her MBA at Duke University.
Availability
The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China is available now for purchase from Amazon and elsewhere.
Upcoming Book Event
Join us on Tuesday, October 21 at 4 PM (Pacific) for a fireside chat with co-authors Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li. The fireside chat will be held in-person in the Bechtel Conference Center and livestreamed for virtual attendees. Learn More & Register
