Latest news with #eliteeducation
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Harvard speech by Chinese graduate exposes class disillusionment and education gap at home
Controversy surrounding a speech given by a Chinese Harvard graduate reflects the Chinese public's 'disillusionment' with elite education and 'anger at class rigidity', according to a Chinese academic. Advertisement Jiang was the first Chinese woman selected as the student speaker at a Harvard graduation ceremony. 03:40 Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas While her success was initially praised by the Chinese media, it soon drew criticism from social media users who questioned whether her 'privileged' family background truly represented the broader Chinese student population. As the controversy escalates, some academics and commentators have begun to examine how it reflects the Chinese public's growing disillusionment with elite education. Yuan Changgeng, an anthropologist at Yunnan University who has long studied changes in social attitudes, said that in recent years 'China's social classes have become increasingly rigid and tensions between them have been on the rise'. Advertisement He added that within the past two years, few of the 'elites' active on Chinese social media had been held up to public scrutiny without having flaws in their experience or morals exposed. 'People are increasingly recognising that competition in education is ultimately a competition of family finances and social capital [connections and resources],' said Yuan, referring to the fact that children from wealthy families in China often have access to more educational resources, both at home and abroad.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Harvard speech sparks privilege debate, China GDP growth outlook: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year's Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education. China's economy is projected to grow by 4.3 per cent next year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said this week as it trimmed a 10th of a percentage point off its previous forecast in the light of ongoing world trade strife. A rendering of a Tiandu test satellite. Photo: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory China's Tiandu-1 satellite has entered a critical fuel-efficient orbit that synchronises with the motion of the Earth and moon, but claims that it is the first spacecraft to achieve the feat have been challenged by US and Canadian experts.
CNA
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Elite Schools
46:59 Min Elite schools are known for their extreme intransigence. We follow the daily lives of seven students. Will they be able to overcome academic pressure and graduate from these prestigious institutions? Elite Schools About the show: Fearsome selection, rich and rigorous teaching, strict codes… Top universities are known for their intransigence. Their aim: to train tomorrow's elite. Students must excel in their field: good isn't good enough, they must be the best. But how can they keep pace in this race for success? From India's private boarding school Mayo College to Montreal's National Circus School, via Paris' top military engineering university and wine school, this film pushes open the doors of some of the world's most prestigious establishments. Over the course of a year, we follow the daily lives of a handful of students driven by high hopes. Will they be able to resist the pressure and successfully carry out these top-class training programs?
