Disparity of lifestyles in Chinese schools fuels public fury
May 23, 2021
Beijing [China], May 23 : The gap in financial resources and lifestyles in China's rich and poor schools has caused intense fury in the country after a video and a blog post flaunted the posh lifestyles of students.
A vlogger claiming to be an alumnus of Affiliated High School of Peking University that is one of the most prestigious schools in Beijing, shared a video of herself walking around campus and describing a typical day that felt free of the pressures and responsibilities often placed on typical Chinese students, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
"We only had three classes per day; ancient Chinese culture, fencing and lab experiments. We eat pizza for lunch and play cards. After school, we get milk tea and watch a play. There's no homework," the vlogger said.
The video led to strong criticism on Chinese social media, with several people pointing out that many students have to study up to 18 hours per day to fight for a spot in college, while the vlogger was living a stress-free lifestyle and still likely to land in the same or better university.
Another post from a student describing her friend's experience at Tsinghua International School, a secondary institution under another elite university of the same name, added fuel to the fire.
The student said that her friend had the opportunity to be admitted to Tsinghua University without taking the gaokao, China's notoriously difficult college entrance exam, reported SCMP.
"My knowledge has been renewed, I had no idea the gap between people is this wide," said an online commentator.
Though the university and school denied the claims that students from the high school had an easier route to the university, a former student at the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, said that there is no denying the privilege afforded to the children of elite members of Chinese society.
She described a remarkably free and tolerant environment in China, which even some colleges do not achieve.
Daching Ruan, a sociology professor, said that the sense of injustice for decades was fuelling the public anger, noting that many people in China work hard for years without sniffing the same resources afforded to the children of the rich and powerful.
"Individuals cannot change this phenomenon. There needs to be structural changes at the root," she said.
