Many contemporary cultures place a strong emphasis on a well-rounded education. Each culture has a specific formula for obtaining an intelligent population. In ancient times, many Western cultures failed to place adequate importance on education. China differed from many Western cultures. China has a long history of emphasizing education. Contemporary Chinese culture remains true to its ancient roots through a Confucian culture reflected in the modern education system. Chinese cultural history is full of signs of Confucian thought. Ancient Chinese society defined success by a person's occupation rather than wealth. According to traditional Confucian thought, there were four main social classes based on occupation. Businessmen, or Shang, were the basis of the social structure. Above the businessmen were the workers, or gongs. Second from the top were the farmers, or nong. At the top of the hierarchical structure were the Shi, or scholars (Park & ​​Chesla, 2007). The Shi were considered the highest class because their decisions affected the entire society, or “mental work (Hui-Chen Huang)”. The dynastic cycle emphasized the Confucian value of strong respect for one's family relationships. This strong relationship with one's family is also known as filial piety. Filial piety is a fundamental value. A strong sense of filial piety incentivized people to perform well in civil service exams. If an individual performed well in a civil service exam, not only would he or she receive a better individual social status, but the entire family would gain honor (Tao). These civil service exams were one of the first systems of meritocratic government appointments. If a person performed well in the civil service exam,...... middle of paper ...... cian values ​​in the Chinese education system are also supported empirically. The Global Teacher Status Index compiled by the Varkey Gems Foundation conducted a study analyzing the status of teachers and people's perception of the profession. The study involved 1,000 people from 21 different countries. Different categories that influence countries' scores include: social standing, whether parents will encourage their students to become teachers, whether children respect their teachers, and how much they believe teachers should be paid. China tops the list with a perfect score of 100. In second place, Greece scored 73.7. Furthermore, China was the only country in the world where the majority of respondents gave teachers the same status as a doctor. Finally, over 70% of Chinese respondents believe that students should respect their teachers (Global Times).