The Context

Covid-19 is not the first pandemic that has impacted human society. In the mid 14th century, the black plague in Europe affected the continent’s evolution of politics and religion. In the 17th  century, a pandemic outbreak in China impacted the rise and fall of its final two dynasties, the Ming and Qing. And during the process, European missionaries had a tremendous influence. 

Every year, millions of students take China’s national college entrance exam for a coveted slot at a top university. Despite the severe competition and its bouts with controversy, many still see the exam as the only avenue to social mobility – a view that finds roots 1,300 years ago in ancient China.