China's ancient imperial examination system significantly influenced the nation's modern education and the highly competitive Gaokao entrance exam. The historical system's legacy continues to impact educational aspirations worldwide.

In the first of a two-part series focusing on China’s hugely important national college entrance examination, or gaokao, the SCMP examines and explains the origins of the test and how it influenced not only the nation’s modern education system but those elsewhere in the world. Each June, China’s gaokao turns the country’s classrooms into arenas of aspiration as millions of students sit an exam seen as a path to university and a better future. Its cultural ancestor is sometimes traced to the...