China’s best-known lists of universities are numbers. Project 211, approved by the State Council on November 18, 1995, set out to build about 100 universities for the 21st century. Project 985 goes back to a speech by Jiang Zemin at Peking University’s centenary on May 4, 1998.
According to Xinhua in 2024, many companies ask applicants for their diyi xueli, first degree, and sort it into three tiers: 985, 211 and ordinary universities. A Ministry of Education notice strictly prohibits job postings that limit candidates to 985 or 211 universities.