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Lower than a month after the conclusion of China’s hypercompetitive annual college entrance examination (“gaokao”), a satirical meme about an imaginary college has been banned on Weibo. The meme and its censorship reveal bigger truths concerning the truthful allocation of academic assets and the general state of educational competitors in China right now.
Competitors for college admission is fiercer than ever, with this yr’s gaokao cohort numbering 12.9 million aspiring college students. Take a look at-takers from some populous provinces are required to earn extraordinarily excessive scores on the examination with a view to acquire admittance to China’s prime universities. From this harsh actuality arose a meme about an imaginary establishment of upper studying often known as Shanhe College (山河大学, Shānhé Dàxué, or “College of Hills and Streams”), ostensibly accepting underserved college students from the 4 closely populated provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei. The unique on-line joke learn as follows:
If the three.43 million candidates from the 4 provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei paid 1,000 yuan every, they might elevate a complete of over three billion yuan to construct a complete college on the precise junction of these 4 provinces. With that location, and a pupil physique drawn from all 4 provinces, the purpose could be to meet up with and overtake Tsinghua and Peking Universities inside one yr. [Chinese]
(“The precise junction of these 4 provinces” is a part of the joke—no such location exists.)
Earlier than lengthy, the joke took on a lifetime of its personal, with netizens including artistic touches reminiscent of pretend college web sites, admissions brochures, logos, badges, mottos, pupil I.D. booklets, and the like. There have been additionally utopian descriptions of the imaginary campus, and mentions of the college president—none apart from the acclaimed Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu. Quickly, the hashtag #Shanhe College (#山河大学#) had change into a trending subject on social media platforms reminiscent of Douyin and Weibo. Different imaginary utopian universities adopted: Northeastern United College (东北联合大学, Dōngběi Liánhé Dàxué) would take up college students from the northeastern provinces, whereas Yangtze River Delta College (长三角大学, Chángsānjiǎo Dàxué) would settle for college students from the Yangtze Delta area, together with Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi.
Regardless of its reputation, the hashtag #Shanhe College (#山河大学#) was being censored on Weibo by July 2. The screenshot under exhibits that content material associated to the once-trending subject is unable to be displayed:
Some on-line commentators identified the intense points underlying the amusing meme—particularly, evident regional inequalities and restricted academic assets. “Whereas netizens are amusing themselves with this little bit of leisure,” wrote one essayist, “we can not ignore the actual issues that lurk behind this [imaginary] proposal. The 4 provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei are all confronting a extreme scarcity of academic assets and intense competitors amongst college entrance exam-takers.” The essay went on to say that resolving these issues would require a concerted effort on the a part of the federal government and numerous sectors of society. One other article made this statement: “Whereas ‘Shanhe College’ could appear a playful meme, it reveals a powerful urge for food for entry to increased training amongst all college students in these 4 provinces.”
CDT editors have archived and translated some feedback drawn from Weibo and Zhihu concerning the origins, significance, and censorship of the “Shanhe College” meme:
eric eric：Simply as I used to be studying the trending matters, the hashtag disappeared. Aren’t college students in these 4 provinces even allowed to dream?
神奇鸭嘴兽：Consultants will say that we’d like miners and farmers—somebody’s obtained to do it.
炩煊：Is there a company behind this college? If that’s the case, I may very well be a educating assistant. I’ve a grasp’s diploma in engineering, and I’m from Hebei. A few years in the past, I really skilled this: I did higher on the doorway examination than others, however due to the place my family registration was based mostly, I didn’t get into college. I couldn’t even come near being accepted at college. Even now, years later, the reminiscence of it nonetheless rankles.
Blueming：“The nation shattered, hills and streams stay.” [A line from “Spring Prospect,” a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu; the translation here is by Burton Watson.]
九乡河做题家：After I took the college entrance examination 20 years in the past, there have been present regional inequalities. On the time, I assumed that may change sooner or later. I actually didn’t anticipate issues to be the identical 20 years later. I’m wondering if those self same inequalities will nonetheless exist 20 years from now.
挺好的-一定会更好：If individuals had fewer youngsters, there’d be extra [educational] assets to go round.
疯姜大莉：I’m a bit dissatisfied. As a former exam-taker from Shandong, I understand how a lot competitors there’s to entry increased training from these 4 provinces. It’s my dream that sometime quickly, everybody will get pleasure from a degree taking part in discipline.
睡过无痕dot布鲁斯：Sichuan Province needs to use to hitch, too!
哈瓦洛hawalo：I like to recommend that the prison masterminds [sarcastic “doge” emoji] of this scheme be arrested and punished, and that this form of “collective school-establishing habits” be resolutely banned. [Chinese]
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