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☆ Jiang Ping: Rural Chinese student sparks awe and suspicion after beating math elites in global contest
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Yuxuan Jiang | Joyce Jiang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Launched in 2018 by Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba, the free online contest is open to math enthusiasts worldwide, though Chinese math majors typically dominate the top places. She was later trained by math teacher Wang Runqiu at Lianshu Secondary Vocational School, where she studies fashion design. Social stigma for vocational studentsAmong the cacophony of commentary, some suspect the harsh public scrutiny of Jiang is rooted in social prejudice against vocational students. But structural discrimination in China’s schools, universities and workplaces means society still favors academic degrees over trades. Jiang considers math her “Plan B,” prioritizing fashion design for future study, according to The Beijing News.

Persons: Jiang Ping, Alibaba, –, Wang Runqiu, Wang, Jiang, Richard Xu, China’s, Yin Wotao, ”, Yin, there’s, “, Zhao Yong, ” China’s, Einstein, Zhao Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Harvard, Oxford, MIT –, DAMO Academy, Xinhua, Secondary Vocational School, Weibo, Harvard Business School, CNN, University of Kansas, Beijing, Communist Party, Zhejiang University Locations: Hong Kong, China, China’s Jiangsu, Xinhua, Lianshui, Beijing, Hangzhou, Jiangsu, Germany, Finland

☆ Northern China braces for record high temperatures in major heat wave
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A major heat wave is forecast to spread across large swathes of northern China this week, bringing record high temperatures to some areas, according to China’s meteorological authorities. The heat wave, which began on Saturday, has already triggered government weather alerts and follows the country’s hottest spring on record. The national observatory on Monday issued an orange alert for high temperatures – the second most severe warning – as sweltering heat engulfed the country’s north. Beijing on Saturday raised its first yellow alert for high temperatures this summer, warning residents to avoid going outdoors during the hottest parts of the day. Zhong said the high temperatures were linked to El Niño, a natural climate pattern marked by warmer than average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

Persons: Zheng Zhihai, Zhong, El Niño, El Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Meteorological Center, NMC, National Climate Center, Xinhua Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shandong, Hebei, Xinjiang, Beijing, ”, Beijing’s Chaoyang, Guangdong

☆ China picks its lowest-scoring officers to command nuclear submarines
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The job of commanding a nuclear submarine should go to smart and well-qualified officers. Chinese submarine officers — except for engineers — tend to come from candidates with the lowest college entrance test scores, according to a US analyst. "Life in the PLAN submarine service is difficult," Christopher Sharman, director of the China Maritime Studies Institute, told Business Insider. By stressing Chinese submarine commanders, such as confronting them with multiple or unexpected challenges, they could be goaded into making a mistake. On the other hand, a Chinese submarine captain will have had years of experience and additional training before assuming command.

Persons: Roderick Lee, Lee, they've, George McClellan, —, George Patton, Christopher Sharman, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, Business, Gaokao, PLA, People's, Army, PLAN Engineering University, China Maritime Studies, US Naval War, Submarine Academy, China Daily, Reuters, China's, Military Medical University, China Sea, China Maritime Studies Institute, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Japan, Taiwan, West, China, Russia, South China, Chinese, Forbes

Most of the people participating in the trend are in their 20s, citing various reasons for quitting ranging from low wages to burnout. LiangAccording to China’s LinkedIn equivalent Maimai, out of 1,554 employees across various sectors surveyed from January through October 2022, 28% resigned that year. A similar movement, dubbed the Great Resignation, had taken off in the United States, with almost 50 million people quitting their jobs in two years. Despite the proliferation of higher education degrees, China’s economy doesn’t currently require as many high-skilled workers and it takes time to transform the economic structure, she said. The resignation trend could affect fertility, but it’s not yet clear how, she said.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Liang, “, ”, Nancy Qian, they’ve, Jade Gao, Qian, ” Qian, Yao Lu, Veyron Mai, ” Lu, Young Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, ” CNN, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Getty, Ministry of Education, Columbia University, University Locations: China, Hong Kong, China’s Zhejiang, United States, West, Beijing, AFP, Yibin, Foshan, Taizhou

Liang took the grueling two-day exam, known as the “gaokao,” in early June alongside nearly 13 million students nationwide. Students’ exam results are their only criteria for college admission – and most candidates only get one shot, with the test happening once a year. “It may be a little difficult if I want to go to a good university this year,” he said in the video. He’d even accepted that Sichuan University might be out of reach, deciding to attend any “key university” that would accept him. Ahead of this year’s test, many students visited temples to light incense and pray for good results.

Persons: Liang Shi, Liang, ”, he’s, “ I’m, livestream, “, He’d, master’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Sichuan University, China Daily Locations: Hong Kong, ”, Sichuan, China, Nanjing

CNN —For nearly 13 million high school students across China, Wednesday marks a day that could make or break their plans for college and the increasingly competitive job market beyond. A high score in the two-day “gaokao” college entrance exam is the only way to get into the country’s top universities, and most Chinese students only get one shot at the grueling test, unlike US students who can take the SAT several times. A user on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, recalled taking the gaokao in 2000 when there were only about 3.75 million other test takers. The urban unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds hit a record high of 20.4% in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. And the rate could increase further, as a record 11.6 million college students are set to graduate this year.

Persons: gaokao, ”, TikTok, Fu Linghui, Xi Jinping’s Organizations: CNN, Getty, Authorities, Times, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS Locations: China, Shenyang, honking

☆ Free education, equal rights for unmarried women among proposals to boost China's fertility
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Farah Master | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG, March 2 (Reuters) - Free college education and equal rights for unmarried women are among proposals being urged by members of China’s top political advisory body to boost the country's birth rate after its population fell last year for the first time in six decades. The proposals come ahead of the upcoming Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which kicks off on March 4. China should remove restrictions on marital status used to register newborns, allowing unmarried women to enjoy fertility services like married women do, Xie Wenmin, a member of China's top political advisory body, told the state-backed Global Times this week. Even after authorities scrapped the rule, high childcare and education costs are cited as a key reason for having fewer children. Currently IVF and egg freezing in China are banned for unmarried women.

☆ Behind the vocal Asian American minority railing against affirmative action
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

As the Supreme Court weighs two high-profile cases challenging affirmative action, a vocal minority of Asian Americans continues to impact public debate. Among Chinese Americans, support for affirmative action is at 59%, the lowest within the Asian American community. This also means that they themselves haven’t experienced the benefits of affirmative action or education equity policies, Niu said. Top American universities, however, use a “holistic” admissions process in which affirmative action policies allow them to take race into account. Asian Americans do face discrimination in our society, in our education systems, but they’re not the result of race-conscious policies like affirmative action,” Chen said.

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