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150萬中國(guó)的年輕人將要參加2013年國(guó)家公務(wù)員考試，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)2萬多個(gè)政府各部門的職位。這些數(shù)字意味著，每個(gè)職位將有66人競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。有100多個(gè)職位，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈到白熱化，招錄比例超過了1000比1。但與此同時(shí)，有130多個(gè)職位無一人報(bào)考。這些數(shù)據(jù)都來自于國(guó)家公務(wù)員管理局。

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.
今年最讓人吃驚的莫過于重慶的一個(gè)普通職位，這一職位竟有9400多人報(bào)考，因此成為國(guó)考史上最熱門的職位。媒體記者發(fā)現(xiàn)，這個(gè)職位只不過是國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局下重慶一個(gè)分隊(duì)的普通科員職位，月薪也僅有2000多元。但它的錄取條件卻是最少的。過去十年間，國(guó)考升溫有目共睹，根據(jù)國(guó)家公務(wù)員管理局的信息，中國(guó)直到1993年才開始通過國(guó)家公務(wù)員考試來選拔人才。

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，全國(guó)有63000多人參加了考試；到2009年，人數(shù)已增長(zhǎng)了12倍；到2010年，國(guó)考參考人數(shù)首次突破了100萬人。今年的最終參考人數(shù)目前還不得而知，但是截至10月24日，已有150萬人報(bào)名。這所有的數(shù)字歸根到一個(gè)問題：為什么中國(guó)有越來越多的年輕人想到政府部門工作？在這一期的《解析中國(guó)》，我們要去認(rèn)識(shí)一位正在準(zhǔn)備今年國(guó)考的大學(xué)生，一位去年通過層層選拔、進(jìn)入商務(wù)部的年輕公務(wù)員，還有一位看到國(guó)考產(chǎn)業(yè)商機(jī)的企業(yè)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.
穆林是對(duì)外經(jīng)濟(jì)貿(mào)易大學(xué)一名大四的學(xué)生，專業(yè)是英語。雖然直到考試報(bào)名截止日期的前幾天，他才最終決定報(bào)考外交部的一個(gè)職位，但他從大三起就已經(jīng)打算要參加今年的國(guó)家公務(wù)員考試了。

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（對(duì)外經(jīng)貿(mào)大學(xué)學(xué)生）：那會(huì)兒大家都在想以后要做什么，去外企，去國(guó)企，考公務(wù)員，還是要出國(guó)。因?yàn)槲矣X得跟其他的選擇比起來，現(xiàn)在參加國(guó)考做公務(wù)員，之后的待遇還有生活節(jié)奏都是大家比較理想的一種。一些美國(guó)的企業(yè)，可能它的待遇并不比當(dāng)公務(wù)員差，但是每天可能早上九點(diǎn)鐘就要上班，然后天天都要加班，生活節(jié)奏特別得緊。

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.
馮欣：那你有沒有聽說今年增加了很多辛苦的崗位？比如說要在很偏遠(yuǎn)的地方工作，或者是要有長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的加班，似乎公務(wù)員不再是一個(gè)輕松的工作了。

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：我知道一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)，因?yàn)槠鋵?shí)在以前，要有兩年的基層工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)，所以很多職位本科生根本就沒法報(bào)考?，F(xiàn)在多了一些比較基層、比較偏遠(yuǎn)的職位，那個(gè)兩年工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)就不用要求了，所以很多本科生可以報(bào)。

Feng Xin: Then, what was your childhood dream?
馮欣：那你小時(shí)候的夢(mèng)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：我一直想做一個(gè)文藝工作者，說說相聲，演演戲，出去采訪一下，這種感覺的生活。

Feng Xin: Then what transformed you from wanting to be an artist to (wanting to be a) civil servant?
馮欣：那是什么讓你想從一個(gè)文藝工作者轉(zhuǎn)到考公務(wù)員的道路上來呢？

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?yàn)槲乃嚬ぷ髡撸矣X得文藝工作者如果想混得很好的話，很大程度上要看，就是運(yùn)氣的成分非常大，就是有很多不確定性。比如說你去靠演話劇，你想以后好好生存下來，這個(gè)非常不好說。而且就算你能這樣想，你還有父母，還有家人，還有女朋友，以后就不好說嘛。如果做了公務(wù)員之后，每天至少下班后的時(shí)間是自己的，還可以完成一些自己文藝的小心愿。

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?
馮欣：我們知道，國(guó)考一年比一年熱，報(bào)名的年輕人一年比一年多，那么你對(duì)這個(gè)現(xiàn)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：我覺得年輕人現(xiàn)在壓力還是挺大的，現(xiàn)在看起來擺在我們面前的選擇非常多，有這么多地方可以去，但真正落到我們自己身上的，就比如說，這邊有一百個(gè)選擇，但其實(shí)這一百個(gè)選擇都是一周要加四天班，要加到八、九點(diǎn)鐘，而且工資跟別的地方也差不多的。所以這一百個(gè)選擇等于就是一個(gè)選擇，就是比較累、工資一般的那個(gè)選擇。

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?
馮欣：現(xiàn)在社會(huì)上有一種聲音，就是有越來越多的年輕人熱衷于國(guó)考，想進(jìn)入體制內(nèi)，而年輕人似乎更應(yīng)該多去闖世界，追尋自己的夢(mèng)想，考公務(wù)員似乎是一種浪費(fèi)青春的做法，那么你對(duì)這種聲音怎么看？

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：我覺得這不是年輕人的問題，年輕人只是被引導(dǎo)的，在哪邊前途比較光明，年輕人自然想向那邊走。在中國(guó)來說，可能在體制內(nèi)前途比較光明，所以年輕人就往這邊走了。所以我覺得年輕人不是向著體制和規(guī)則走的，年輕人是向著光明走的?，F(xiàn)在既然光明被定在這一邊了，大家肯定會(huì)蜂擁而至的。

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.
雖然國(guó)考吸引了眾多年輕人，那么它究竟如何選拔考生呢？中國(guó)的國(guó)家公務(wù)員考試由兩個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的筆試和若干面試組成。在《行政職業(yè)能力測(cè)試》中，考試要在兩小時(shí)之內(nèi)完成135道選擇題。題目涵蓋時(shí)事常識(shí)、閱讀理解、數(shù)學(xué)和邏輯推理等內(nèi)容。在《申論》中，考生要在兩個(gè)半小時(shí)內(nèi)閱讀好幾篇較長(zhǎng)的文章、歸納總結(jié)它們，起草公文并且撰寫議論文。這兩個(gè)筆試是政府部門篩選考生的第一道門檻，通過這兩門考試對(duì)很多人來說已經(jīng)是很困難的了。

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，陳超逸成為了商務(wù)部的一位公務(wù)員，他報(bào)考的職位是當(dāng)年競(jìng)爭(zhēng)最激烈的幾個(gè)職位之一。但是脫穎而出并不只是他的運(yùn)氣，他其實(shí)早在2010年就參加過考試，但是沒有考上。我對(duì)他如何在第二次考試中大獲成功很感興趣。

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?
馮欣：那我們來看看你的經(jīng)歷：在你參加完兩門筆試以后，之后的五輪面試是什么樣的？

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.
陳超逸（商務(wù)部公務(wù)員）：我先考完了國(guó)家級(jí)的考試，然后到部委考試，最后再到相關(guān)的部門考試。不是每個(gè)人都必須參加五輪面試，這只是我的個(gè)案，但大體順序就是這樣。面試中，我們都盡全力保持微笑，因?yàn)樵谶@兒工作，微笑是一種非常重要的品質(zhì)。在這里你必須時(shí)刻保持平和、友善的態(tài)度，否則這個(gè)環(huán)境將對(duì)你是致命的。

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