My Short 2009 (and beyond!) China Wishlist
Instead of looking back on 2008, or making predictions for 2009, I thought — why not share a list of my hopes and wishes for China in the next year…and beyond? So…here’s a short list of what I’d like to see in the Middle Kingdom in 2009, and after. It is NOT a prediction; I […]
Throwaway PhDs? The mindless and unfair side of higher education in China
I know a fellow from Taiwan who spent eight years laboring over his PhD — eight years! — in some area of engineering. He now runs a private media company and does real estate on the side, and regrets the years he spent on higher education. Another friend of mine came over here for a […]
Lingering anxiety and lost talent: the college-entrance exam economy in China
College entrance exams in China usually end in June and a new term starts at the beginning of September. But the anxiety among students and parents from college entrance exams is still lingering. Students and parents not only care about whether they can enter college, but also whether they can enter a prestigious school. Anxiety, […]
A Harvard girl carnival: Comments on media reaction to a Chinese girl’s admission into Harvard
A girl from Shanghai named Tang Meijie — featured in the New York Times Magazine article “Re-Education” — soon became the focus of major media in China following her admission into Harvard College in December, 2004. The press talked her up as every Chinese parent’s dream child. Headlines such as “What Does Her Success Tell […]