China's satisfaction with an 'iron rice bowl' is undoubtedly secure and unassailable with a sky-high record of 9,837 applicants for the immensely competitive job to be a part of the "China Democratic League public reception staff".
Now, what is it exactly about serving boiling tea and greeting guests with a radiating smile that makes this job so appealing? Albeit the "China Democratic League" may sound like a strikingly prestigious political party, it is simply one of several minority political parties with constrained powers.
Could it be a population issue since there are over 1 billion people in China? With 1.4 million jobseekers taking the civl service examination this year, the demand to work in the civil service is indisputably high.
With an applicant to job ratio of 49.5:1, the Chinese population are willing to take on straightforward jobs due to the competitive job market. Although China's official unemployment rate is only 4%, in a country of 1.4 billion, that translates to 56 million people, more than the entire population of Spain.
The government job is deemed an 'iron rice bowl' (an occupation with guaranteed job security and income). With the importance of feeding your family, one Sina noted that the China Democratic League job was a "golden rice bowl" as a result of its notable desirability.
However, behind this "golden rice bowl" lies the unpropitious attitude on the civil service as a result of China's anti-corruption approach. The government had announced that it had punished a staggering number of 1 million officials for corruption in the past three years.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that people who manage to receive the job are frowned upon due to the unfavourable reputation of the civil service while the inability to get the job will result in increased pressure from relatives to get any form of employment and pay for their "rice bowl".
Ultimately, with China's reputation of having a hardworking and determined workforce, having a job is still deemed better than having none at all.