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，中国各大院校挤满了上百万满怀期望的考生，准备参加全国公务员[微博]考试。大学生王子旭(音译)也是其中一员。

　　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。

　　这一传统可追溯到1300多年前，当时古代朝廷首次通过科举来招贤纳士。如今，年轻求职者对政府岗位的竞争可谓空前未有。

　　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。

　　和许多考生一样，王子旭明年也将毕业了。他说，虽然欧美很多优秀人才倾向于私企，但相比之下，在中国公务员的稳定工资和丰厚福利要诱人得多。

　　"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。

　　“我觉得考试不是很难，所有题目都答完了。”在中国政法学院考完三个小时的试后，王子旭告诉CNN说。

　　"The pay is not very high but it has good bonus and social security," he added。

　　他还说：“公务员的工资并不高，但福利和社保比较好。”

　　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。因为收入稳定、福利丰厚，政府的岗位常被形容为“金饭碗”。而且，公务岗位还能保证入党——这在中国是身份地位的象征。

　　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.

　　但工作岗位只有19000个，王子旭考上公务员的机会可谓微乎其微。今年的报考人数打破了以往记录：2001年报名人数为30000；今年网上报名人数就有152万。

　　About 7,200 people competed for the most popular position as a researcher with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, according to The China Daily。

　　据《中国日报》报道，国家民族事务委员会的研究员岗位最抢手，大概有7200名考生在竞争这一岗位。

　　The annual exam includes an aptitude test and a policy essay, and those who pass make it to an interview round。

　　公务员考试包括能力测试和申论写作，两项都通过的考生可以进入面试环节。

　　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，也就是中国刚开始改革开放的时候，进入私企或经商被认为最有前途。公务员变得如此热门也只是近十年才有的事情。” 张居伟(音译)说道。他是中国社科院人口与劳动经济研究所的研究员。

　　"The private sector in China is not very well structured or developed like the U.S.," he said。他还说：“中国的私企不像美国那么组织完善或发达。”

　　"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."

　　“大部分在中国私企工作的人，除非职位很高，一般报酬都不乐观，事业发展也不看好。”

　　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。

　　许多考生都是大学生，而政府岗位申请人数的增长恰好也说明大学生的就业竞争愈加激烈。根据中国《财经》杂志统计，10年前的毕业生大概是两百万人，而今年则高达7百万人。

　　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(音译)和朋友刘佳双(音译)都在上2013年的培训班，希望试试运气。还有人报了培训学校的速成班，但徐茹说她并没有好好准备考试。

　　"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。

　　“大家都这么做，所以我觉得也该试一试，如果考上就太好了。” 她说。

　　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采访的诸多考生中，没有人表示自己担心政府针对各层官职而推出的反腐措施。一位姓王的考生表示：“我觉得我不会去贪污，我有自己的原则。”他还表示，这次没考好，准备明年再考。

　　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。

　　在这个关系高于能力的社会，国考被认为相对还算公平透明。如今经济不稳定，中国父母也都认为公务员是个不错的岗位。

　　"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。

　　“我觉得对女孩子来说，做公务员还是挺理想的。我认识一些在私企上班的人，他们工作生活常常不稳定，压力太大了。” 某个考生的妈妈付文霞(音译)说道。