Stairway to Heaven II
The Interplay of Performance and Patronage in China
As we saw in the previous post of this series, the first phase of ascent to the pinnacles of political power in China begins when the aspirant is just six years old and culminates in graduating from a top university. What are the factors that determine the subsequent career of a Chinese mandarin? To answer this question, I again turn to Jia and Li’s book, The Highest Exam, as well as relevant academic publications.
