Opinion | Placating graduates a work in progress
Worried leaders turn their attention to unemployed youths with diplomas, fearing their swelling ranks threaten social stability
In feudal China, taking the imperial examinations was the only way for ordinary people to join the palace and make their mark.
Cramming for the exam required years of extensive reading, along with sacrifice and stamina.
More parents will have to contend with the reality that a job at the Starbucks may be better than no job at all
This gave rise to the enduring adage that urges students to have the determination of "tying one's hair on the house beam and jabbing one's thigh with a sharp awl to keep awake in the middle of night". It came from one story of a poor person making his mark in the Warring States period many centuries ago.
Many mainland parents continue to live by that adage as millions of high school graduates study day and night to prepare for the national university entrance exams, which usually are held in the second weekend of June.
A university degree signals a good job and a better life for their children, as well as prestige and honour for the families.
But their hearts will most likely skip a beat if they stop looking over their children's shoulders and start to take notice of the recent spate of state media reports on the dismal job prospects of university graduates this year.
According to the Ministry of Education, this year will see nearly 7 million graduates, a record high, and only a fraction of them have found jobs, a record low. In Beijing, home to many of the country's top universities including Tsinghua and Peking, only 28 per cent of graduates with bachelor and master's degrees had found a job by April.