These “small-town test takers” take tutoring classes every day, do practice tests, and they still can’t obtain a public sector job with job security. There are many people who take the exams.

Senior journalist Yáng Shíyáng 杨时旸 suggested that celebrities like Jackson Yee are more talented and more able to pass exams to access cushy public sector jobs than “normal people,” no matter how hard they work: Yee has apologized on his Weibo account for any misunderstanding or angst caused, and decided not to take the job.īut the real controversy came following an article on July 8 in the state-run publication China Newsweek (中国新闻周刊 zhōngguó xīnwén zhōukān), which has since been deleted. A bianzhi brings with it attractive perks: It can normally be extended for life, and it offers a stable income with housing subsidies and other benefits.Thousands of people may apply for a single job. The public sector roles, or biānzhì 编制 in Chinese, that they were offered are highly sought-after jobs that are supposed to be secured through a rigorous competitive process of exams and interviews. Our phrase of the week is: small-town test taker (小镇做题家 xiǎo zhèn zuò tí jiā).Ĭhinese pop singer Jackson Yee (易烊千玺 Yì Yángqiānxǐ) and two other celebrities are facing controversy after the National Theatre of China (国家话剧院 guójiā dà jùyuàn) hired them as staff performers, sparking calls on social media for more transparency amid concerns that they gained privileged access.

Test taker link it