Amazing Pictures, Only in China

Major Col. Li Congna graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from the National Defense University in 2000. Li was awarded the 12th annual PLA scholar in 2011. In 2010, Li produced over 400,000 lines of code of lower level driver system in 90 days. The entire system development was completed in 4 months. In comparison, a typical programmer for the US defense contractor produces 500 lines of code per year.

In 2011 alone, Li's group invented 20 new algorithms, and published more than 10 papers. Li was awarded a 2nd level medal.

You may mistook it an overcrowded hospital room, because of the hanging IV bags. In reality, it's but a classroom in No. 1 High School in Xiaogan, Hubei Province. The graduating seniors studied for the upcoming national college entrance examination (June 7 - 9) so hard that they had to take IV to keep energy level. Because of its large rural population and relatives few national famed colleges, Hubei is one of toughest place to apply for college, even in already touch China.

If the hamlets in camouflage pattern cued you a M*A*S*H kind army installation, you are wrong again. It's yet a community hospital, Shanxia Hospital in Pinghua, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. And it is not a drill or whatsoever, but a daily scene or normal operating. Due to frequent incidents of doctors and nurses attacked by angry patients, the hospital armed medical staffs with personal armor. It is mandatory. More pictures here.

The College Entrance Exam: 2011

College Admission of Shandong Province in 2011

school	total	high	low
Qinghua University	65	719	682
Beijing University	30	708	682
Fudan University	32	682	672
Shanghai Communication University	50	680	670
Zhejiang University	61	694	668
University of Science and Technology of China	40	676	667
Medical College of Shanghai Communication University	12	676	666
Chinese People's University	35	681	665
Nanjing University	65	680	664
Nankai University	60	671	658
Tongji University	108	673	651
Central University of Finance and Economics	62	674	646
University of International Business and Economics	34	670	646
Beijing University of Science and Technology	111	669	646
China University of Political Science and Law	33	665	645
Huazhong University of Science and Technology	128	664	642
Wuhan University	174	664	633
Shandong University	1774	667	629
Shanghai Foreign Languages University	13	652	627
Beijing Foreign Languages University	10	660	626
Huadong Normal University	36	650	626
Northwestern Polytechnical University	135	658	625
Sun Yet-sen University	130	664	623
China Oceanic University	858	659	619
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	156	648	615
Zhongnan University	272	662	614
Nanjing University of Science and Technology	138	651	613
Hohai University	167	637	607
Northeastern University	180	637	605
Lanzhou University	120	631	605
Sichuan University	251	653	604
Shangdong University at Weihai	865	644	603
Southwestern University of Communications	284	638	603
Wuhan University of Science and Technology	380	630	603
Xi'an University of Electronic Science and Technology	276	658	601
harbin University of Engineering	256	643	600
Hebei University of Technology	47	626	600

What's interesting from the numbers:
• The top 2 universities swiped all high score students with no exception. In other words, the best student getting in any other school is not as good as the worst student who gets in either Beijing University or Qinghua University;
  
• The Fudan University, Shanghai University of Communications, Zhejing University, USTC, People's University and Nanjing University together formed the second tier group.
  
• There is little difference among tier three schools going forward;
  

The above observations echoed the choice made by students in entire mainland China, compiled from another study:

Qinghua University (1.25), Beijing University (1.61), Fudan University (3.36), Shanghai University of Communications (3.60), Zhejing University (5.40), People's University (6.24), USTC (6.28), Nanjing University (7.76)

Number represented ranking of lowest admission score by province.

Twenty years ago, 2nd tier universities and some 3rd tier universities could share a scoop of high score students with 1st tier universities. At the time, there was no clear divide between say, Beijing University and Nankai University. Today, privileged employers should look no further than the top 2 schools. With exclusive access to talents and exclusive resource backed by the national government, Beijing University and Qinghua University leave no air for any other school to breathe.

Cheat Run

The organizing committee of the Xiamen Marathon announced mass scale fraud had been uncovered in the running race held on January 2, 2010 in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

Over 30 out of the top 100 male runners had been identified after studying photos and video recordings and were striped of their results, most of which are within 2:34. The magic number is the qualifying line for Level 1 athletes, who would deserve a bonus in the national college entrance examination. Runners cheated by wearing multiple time chips, taking motor transportations, etc. In one instance, when No. 8900 passed the finish line on TV, two results for 8892 and 8897 were recorded. The result of 8900? Never showed up.

Chinese Kids Eye Colleges in USA

A summer camp advertisement stuck on a billboard of local high school graduates admitted to top US colleges in front of the Tianjin Book Building (TJBB).

The annual national college entrance examination had been traditionally known as a single log bridge competed by tens of thousands of troops. The portrait was not an exaggeration when you consider 600,000 would be accepted by colleges out of over 8,000,000 attempted in 1989.

However, after a national policy to expand college admissions, over 4 million freshmen are admitted into college, while the total number of applications started to decline. Almost one million high school graduates did not apply for college in 2009. Some experts interpreted the decline of interest as a reflection of disappointing job market for college graduates.

On the other hand, students who applied for colleges in the US doubled. 15,000 mainland kids took SAT in Hong Kong between October 2008 and June 2009. There is no SAT test center in mainland China. Students travel to testing centers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and as far as the US to take the test.

In major cities such as Beijing, Chongqing, up to 10-20 percent of high school graduates applied US colleges. Mr. Shen Xianzhang, deputy principle of the Rendafuzhong High school in Beijing told reporters that 43 students had been admitted by top US colleges, the majority went to Ivy League schools with full scholarship, including Harvard, Stanford and Yale. At Beijing No. 4 High School, 20 graduates went abroad for colleges in 2007. The number grew to 30 in 2008, and 50 in 2009. Another high school in Beijing, the Lab High School affiliated with Beijing Normal University sent 16 graduates to University of Toronto through a joint program.

A strong economy and a strong exchange rate against major western currencies certain help too. The total number of students studying in foreign universities and colleges increased from 144,000 in 2007 to 170,000 in 2008. The number is expected to almost double in 2009.

Stanley Nel of University of San Francisco told China Daily that "Students used to tell me that they did not have the money to go to USF, and they needed full scholarships. That is not the case now." More than 80 students from mainland China has been admitted to USF this year.