Professor Tang said the shift represents a fundamental change in how families approach education decisions.

　　Over the past 20 years, the logic behind Chinese families' school choices followed an implicit rule — reach as high as possible, he said.

　　"If your score qualified for a top university, you would not settle for a less-known one; if you qualified for undergraduate, you wouldn't touch vocational. The school's reputation came first," Tang said.

　　"Today, that rule is breaking. Parents no longer want to pay a premium for the prestige of a university. They are voting for the certainty of employment and the return of skills-based value."