Beijing (CNN) -- College student Wang Zixu was among the 1.1 million hopefuls who packed out school and universities across China on Sunday to sit the country's civil service exams.
北京（CNN）——上周日，中國各大院校擠滿了上百萬滿懷期望的考生，準(zhǔn)備參加全國公務(wù)員考試。大學(xué)生王子旭（音譯）也是其中一員。

It's a tradition that dates back more than 1,300 years when exams were first held to select the best applicants for ancient imperial bureaucracy. Today's young job seekers are vying for government posts in record numbers.
這一傳統(tǒng)可追溯到1300多年前，當(dāng)時古代朝廷首次通過科舉來招賢納士。如今，年輕求職者對政府崗位的競爭可謂空前未有。

Like many of the candidates, Wang, who will graduate next year, says the prospect of a stable salary and good benefits make it more appealing than the private sector that attracts many of the most ambitious minds in the U.S. and Europe.
和許多考生一樣，王子旭明年也將畢業(yè)了。他說，雖然歐美很多優(yōu)秀人才傾向于私企，但相比之下，在中國公務(wù)員的穩(wěn)定工資和豐厚福利要誘人得多。

"I think the exam wasn't too hard. I answered all the questions," Wang told CNN after taking the three-hour exam outside the China Institute of Political Science and Law.
“我覺得考試不是很難，所有題目都答完了。”在中國政法大學(xué)考完三個小時的試后，王子旭告訴CNN說。

"The pay is not very high but it has good bonus and social security," he added.
他還說：“公務(wù)員的工資并不高，但福利和社保比較好?！?/div>

Central government jobs are often described as a "golden rice bowl" for their stable income and generous benefits. Officialdom can also lead to membership of the Chinese Communist Party -- a status symbol in China.
因為收入穩(wěn)定、福利豐厚，政府的崗位常被形容為“金飯碗”。而且，公務(wù)崗位還能保證入黨——這在中國是身份地位的象征。

But with only 19,000 jobs available, Wang's chances of a civil service career are slim. The exam attracted record numbers of applicants, with 1.52 million completing the online registration process up from 30,000 in 2001.
但工作崗位只有19000個，王子旭考上公務(wù)員的機會可謂微乎其微。今年的報考人數(shù)打破了以往記錄：2001年報名人數(shù)為30000；今年網(wǎng)上報名人數(shù)就有152萬。

About 7,200 people competed for the most popular position as a researcher with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, according to The China Daily.
據(jù)《中國日報》報道，國家民族事務(wù)委員會的研究員崗位最搶手，大概有7200名考生在競爭這一崗位。

The annual exam includes an aptitude test and a policy essay, and those who pass make it to an interview round.
公務(wù)員考試包括能力測試和申論寫作，兩項都通過的考生可以進(jìn)入面試環(huán)節(jié)。

When China's economy first opened up 30 years ago, going into private business or commerce was seen as the best way to get ahead. But the civil service first began attracting huge numbers of applicants a decade ago, said Zhang Juwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Population and Labor Economics.
“30年前，也就是中國剛開始改革開放的時候，進(jìn)入私企或經(jīng)商被認(rèn)為最有前途。公務(wù)員變得如此熱門也只是近十年才有的事情。” 張居偉（音譯）說道。他是中國社科院人口與勞動經(jīng)濟研究所的研究員。

"The private sector in China is not very well structured or developed like the U.S.," he said.
他還說：“中國的私企不像美國那么組織完善或發(fā)達(dá)。”

"Most of the people in private companies in China, unless their positions are high, they usually don't pay well or have a clear career ladder to move up."
“大部分在中國私企工作的人，除非職位很高，一般報酬都不樂觀，事業(yè)發(fā)展也不看好?！?/div>

Many of the candidates are university graduates and the increase in the numbers applying for government jobs reflects a surge in the number of university graduates entering a fiercely competitive job market. This year a record seven million graduated, up from around two million a decade ago, according to Chinese magazine Caijing.
許多考生都是大學(xué)生，而政府崗位申請人數(shù)的增長恰好也說明大學(xué)生的就業(yè)競爭愈加激烈。根據(jù)中國《財經(jīng)》雜志統(tǒng)計，10年前的畢業(yè)生大概是兩百萬人，而今年則高達(dá)7百萬人。

Xu Ru and her friend Liu Jiashuang were among the class of 2013 trying their luck. While some prepare by taking crash courses offered by cram schools, Xu said she had not studied for the exam.
徐茹（音譯）和朋友劉佳雙（音譯）都在上2013年的培訓(xùn)班，希望試試運氣。還有人報了培訓(xùn)學(xué)校的速成班，但徐茹說她并沒有好好準(zhǔn)備考試。

"Everyone is taking it today, so I just feel like I should give it a try, and if I got it, it would be simply great," she said.
“大家都這么做，所以我覺得也該試一試，如果考上就太好了?！?她說。

None of the half a dozen candidates CNN spoke to said they were concerned by the government's anti-corruption drive that has targeted both high and low-ranking officials. "I think I would not do that -- I have my own principles," said a man called Wang, who said he didn't do well in the exam this time around and would consider taking it again next year.
在CNN采訪的諸多考生中，沒有人表示自己擔(dān)心政府針對各層官職而推出的反腐措施。一位姓王的考生表示：“我覺得我不會去貪污，我有自己的原則?！彼€表示，這次沒考好，準(zhǔn)備明年再考。

The exam is also seen as being relatively transparent and fair in a society where connections can often count for more than ability. Parents also think it's a suitable career in today's uncertain economy.
在這個關(guān)系高于能力的社會，國考被認(rèn)為相對還算公平透明。如今經(jīng)濟不穩(wěn)定，中國父母也都認(rèn)為公務(wù)員是個不錯的崗位。

"I mean for a girl, being a civil servant can be ideal. I know people who worked in the private sector here, they jump from place to place, it's a lot of pressure," said Fu Wenxia, the mother of an exam taker.
“我覺得對女孩子來說，做公務(wù)員還是挺理想的。我認(rèn)識一些在私企上班的人，他們工作生活常常不穩(wěn)定，壓力太大了?！?某個考生的媽媽付文霞（音譯）說道。