I wonder how much of this derives from the history of the Imperial Exam ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_exam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_exa

I wonder how much of this derives from the history of the Imperial Exam ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_exam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_exam ). If you have just one exam which basically defines your ability (and effectively that of your family) to succeed then it encourages exactly the sort of behaviour that is stereotypical of Asian-Americans. You could argue that certain schools in France, Oxbridge in the UK, and the US' Ivy League are part of a similar phenomenon, but the difference there is even if you don't get to those institutions you can still do reasonably well in life.