#nyt# The passion reflects a tradition in the Confucian belt of East Asia that the path to glory is to study. Even today in Chinese villages, you occasionally come across an ancient “paifang” monument to some local man who centuries ago earned a “jinshi” degree with top honors in the imperial exams. (When was the last time you saw an American village commemorating a local Ph.D.？）

//博士比得上进士吗？