中国年轻人，为何挤国考？

On the 25th of November, more than one and a half million young people in China will be taking the 2013 National Civil Servants Examination to compete for some 20,000 positions in various government sectors. These numbers mean for every job there will be 66 candidates competing on average. There are over 100 positions where the competition gets really fierce – in fact the admission ratio in this case is as high as 1,000 to 1. But at the same time, some 130 positions in remote areas have attracted zero applicants. That's according to the State Administration of Civil Service.
11月25日，有150万中国的年轻人将要参加2013年国家公务员考试，竞争2万多个政府各部门的职位。这些数字意味着，每个职位将有66人竞争。有100多个职位，竞争激烈到白热化，招录比例超过了1000比1。但与此同时，有130多个职位无一人报考。这些数据都来自于国家公务员管理局。

But what has surprised many people this year is one ordinary position in Chongqing Municipality. It alone has attracted more than 9,400 candidates and become the most sought-after position in the history of China's Civil Servants Examination. Media reporters discovered that it's just a clerk position under the National Bureau of Statistics'Chongqing division and is just paid 2,000 yuan a month, but it has the fewest admission requirements. The increase in the exam’s popularity over the last decade is quite obvious. Also according to the State Administration of Civil Service, China didn’t start selecting candidates through the National Civil Servants Examination until 1993.
今年最让人吃惊的莫过于重庆的一个普通职位，这一职位竟有9400多人报考，因此成为国考史上最热门的职位。媒体记者发现，这个职位只不过是国家统计局下重庆一个分队的普通科员职位，月薪也仅有2000多元。但它的录取条件却是最少的。过去十年间，国考升温有目共睹，根据国家公务员管理局的信息，中国直到1993年才开始通过国家公务员考试来选拔人才。

In 2002, about 63,000 candidates took part in the Exam. There were 12 times more candidates by 2009, and in 2010 for the first time more than 1 million people took the Exam. The final number of examinees this year is yet to be known, but over 1.5 million people have already registered for the exams as of Oct 24. These numbers all come down to one question: Why do more and more young people in China want to work for the government? In this episode of Digest China, we will meet one university student preparing for this year's exams, a young civil servant who topped the selection last year and became an employee at the Ministry of Commerce, and an entrepreneur who saw business opportunities in the exam industry.
2002年，全国有63000多人参加了考试；到2009年，人数已增长了12倍；到2010年，国考参考人数首次突破了100万人。今年的最终参考人数目前还不得而知，但是截至10月24日，已有150万人报名。这所有的数字归根到一个问题：为什么中国有越来越多的年轻人想到政府部门工作？在这一期的《解析中国》，我们要去认识一位正在准备今年国考的大学生，一位去年通过层层选拔、进入商务部的年轻公务员，还有一位看到国考产业商机的企业家。

Mu Lin is in his senior year at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, majoring in English. He didn't make up his mind to apply for a position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until the very last few days before the deadline, but he intended to take the National Civil Servants Examination since his third year at university.
穆林是对外经济贸易大学一名大四的学生，专业是英语。虽然直到考试报名截止日期的前几天，他才最终决定报考外交部的一个职位，但他从大三起就已经打算要参加今年的国家公务员考试了。

Mu Lin (Student at the University of International Business and Economics): We were thinking what we would do in the future. Work for a foreign-owned company, a State-owned company, the government or study abroad? I think compared to other options, taking part in the exam and becoming a civil servant would be ideal both in terms of pay and pace of life. Some American companies may not pay any less than what civil servants are paid, but you might have to get to work by 9 am and work extra hours every day. Life is very tense.
穆林（对外经贸大学学生）：那会儿大家都在想以后要做什么，去外企，去国企，考公务员，还是要出国。因为我觉得跟其他的选择比起来，现在参加国考做公务员，之后的待遇还有生活节奏都是大家比较理想的一种。一些美国的企业，可能它的待遇并不比当公务员差，但是每天可能早上九点钟就要上班，然后天天都要加班，生活节奏特别得紧。

Feng Xin: Have you heard that there are going to be many demanding positions this year, which require you to work in remote areas or long hours? It seems that being a civil servant is no longer an easy job.
冯欣：那你有没有听说今年增加了很多辛苦的岗位？比如说要在很偏远的地方工作，或者是要有长时间的加班，似乎公务员不再是一个轻松的工作了。

Mu Lin: I've heard a little. In fact, candidates used to have to have two years of working experience before they could apply, so fresh college graduates were not eligible for many positions. But now, since there are more demanding positions in remote or poor areas, the two-year bar no longer exists. That’s actually a good thing for us.
穆林：我知道一点点，因为其实在以前，要有两年的基层工作经验，所以很多职位本科生根本就没法报考。现在多了一些比较基层、比较偏远的职位，那个两年工作经验就不用要求了，所以很多本科生可以报。

Feng Xin: Then, what was your childhood dream?
冯欣：那你小时候的梦想是什么呢？

Mu Lin: I always wanted to be an artist, like being a stand-up comedian, actor, or going out to do interviews.
穆林：我一直想做一个文艺工作者，说说相声，演演戏，出去采访一下，这种感觉的生活。

Feng Xin: Then what transformed you from wanting to be an artist to (wanting to be a) civil servant?
冯欣：那是什么让你想从一个文艺工作者转到考公务员的道路上来呢？

Mu Lin: I think being an artist, a successful artist, to a large extent depends on luck. There are a lot of uncertainties. For example, if you want to live on acting in plays and live well, it's very hard to predict. Even if you don't mind living that way, you still have your parents and girlfriend. It's very uncertain. However, if I am a civil servant, at least the hours after work would belong to me. I can still fulfill some of my little artistic dreams.
穆林：因为文艺工作者，我觉得文艺工作者如果想混得很好的话，很大程度上要看，就是运气的成分非常大，就是有很多不确定性。比如说你去靠演话剧，你想以后好好生存下来，这个非常不好说。而且就算你能这样想，你还有父母，还有家人，还有女朋友，以后就不好说嘛。如果做了公务员之后，每天至少下班后的时间是自己的，还可以完成一些自己文艺的小心愿。

Feng Xin: As we know, there has been a growing number of young people taking part in the National Civil Servants Examination each year. What do you think of such a phenomenon?
冯欣：我们知道，国考一年比一年热，报名的年轻人一年比一年多，那么你对这个现象怎么看呢？

Mu Lin: I think nowadays young people face a lot of pressure. It looks like there are many options in front of us and many places to go. But when the options really fall upon us – let's say, there are 100 options, but all of them require you to work until 8 or 9 pm, four days a week, and the salaries are more or less the same – the 100 options are in fact equal to one. That is, the tiring and underpaid option.
穆林：我觉得年轻人现在压力还是挺大的，现在看起来摆在我们面前的选择非常多，有这么多地方可以去，但真正落到我们自己身上的，就比如说，这边有一百个选择，但其实这一百个选择都是一周要加四天班，要加到八、九点钟，而且工资跟别的地方也差不多的。所以这一百个选择等于就是一个选择，就是比较累、工资一般的那个选择。

Feng Xin: There has been a voice in society that there are more and more young people keen on getting in the government system, but really, they should be chasing their dreams. Trying to become a civil servant seems to be a waste of time. What do you think of such a voice?
冯欣：现在社会上有一种声音，就是有越来越多的年轻人热衷于国考，想进入体制内，而年轻人似乎更应该多去闯世界，追寻自己的梦想，考公务员似乎是一种浪费青春的做法，那么你对这种声音怎么看？

Mu Lin: I don't think this is young people's problem. Young people are just guided to walk toward that direction. They choose whichever path that's bright. In China, perhaps the government system is the bright path, so young people automatically choose it. I don’t think young people really follow rules or the system. They follow the light. Since now the light is defined to be (the government system), people will, of course, come in great numbers.
穆林：我觉得这不是年轻人的问题，年轻人只是被引导的，在哪边前途比较光明，年轻人自然想向那边走。在中国来说，可能在体制内前途比较光明，所以年轻人就往这边走了。所以我觉得年轻人不是向着体制和规则走的，年轻人是向着光明走的。现在既然光明被定在这一边了，大家肯定会蜂拥而至的。

While the exams are getting popular among young people, how do they select candidates? China's National Civil Servants Examination consists of two standard written tests and individualized interviews. In the Test of Administrative Competency, candidates have to answer 135 multiple choice questions in two hours. The questions cover areas such as current affairs and general knowledge, reading, math and logic. In the Test of Argumentation, candidates have to read several large passages concerning current affairs, summarize them, draft official documents and write argumentative essays in two and a half hours. The two written exams serve as the first round of selection for government sectors to narrow down candidates for interviews. Passing the exams would be very challenging to many.
虽然国考吸引了众多年轻人，那么它究竟如何选拔考生呢？中国的国家公务员考试由两个标准的笔试和若干面试组成。在《行政职业能力测试》中，考试要在两小时之内完成135道选择题。题目涵盖时事常识、阅读理解、数学和逻辑推理等内容。在《申论》中，考生要在两个半小时内阅读好几篇较长的文章、归纳总结它们，起草公文并且撰写议论文。这两个笔试是政府部门筛选考生的第一道门槛，通过这两门考试对很多人来说已经是很困难的了。

Chen Chaoyi became an employee at the Ministry of Commerce in 2011. The job he applied for was one of the most competitive positions that year. But topping the selection wasn't just his luck. He actually failed his first attempt in 2010. I was interested in how he succeeded the second time around.
2011年，陈超逸成为了商务部的一位公务员，他报考的职位是当年竞争最激烈的几个职位之一。但是脱颖而出并不只是他的运气，他其实早在2010年就参加过考试，但是没有考上。我对他如何在第二次考试中大获成功很感兴趣。

Feng Xin: Well, let's look at your experiences. After you took the two written exams, what did the following five rounds of selections look like?
冯欣：那我们来看看你的经历：在你参加完两门笔试以后，之后的五轮面试是什么样的？

Chen Chaoyi(Employee at Ministry of Commerce): After you've taken the national exam, you go to the ministerial one (and) then you go to the departmental one. I don't think everyone has to (go through) five rounds of interview. That's only my case, but the sequence is clear. We all try to keep smiling, because you know it's a very important, extremely important, quality that you keep in here. You must be amicable. You must be peaceful all the time. Otherwise, I think it would be deadly for you.
陈超逸（商务部公务员）：我先考完了国家级的考试，然后到部委考试，最后再到相关的部门考试。不是每个人都必须参加五轮面试，这只是我的个案，但大体顺序就是这样。面试中，我们都尽全力保持微笑，因为在这儿工作，微笑是一种非常重要的品质。在这里你必须时刻保持平和、友善的态度，否则这个环境将对你是致命的。