China Prep follows five Chinese students through their final high-pressure year at an elite high school in Sichuan Province. Eighteen hundred students vie for spots in Beijing’s top two universities. Last year only 59 made it.
Studying seven days a week, the students’ lives are regimented almost every minute of the day as they prepare for the end-of-year exam that can determine their fate. For many students from poor or rural backgrounds, a strong performance on the test is the only way to climb the social ladder and excel without connections. Competition is fierce and the majority of high school seniors will be relegated to vocational schools.
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China Ed is similar to Japan and Korea but from a lower student to classroom ratio. The system is choosing cream of the crop for its best Universities but late bloomers unfortunately falls thru the crack. As university capacity increases, a larger % will be accepted including “late bloomers” making it less rigid. Eastern culture value education and China feel as if they have a lot of catching up to do. Since their population is about 10 x Japans, their economic footprint is most likely to be some multiple in the near future. The recent advances in instant communication and world trade will greatly speed this process. What the Chinese did not learn in school they learn on the factory floor where most products go thru evolutionary development. The market will be the judge.
I stayed in north America for four years and was once in that system. The three years are indeed depressing somehow but it doesn’t really that spirit killing.the feeling of fully devotion into something spiritual is a para religious experience somehow that will make us remember forever. We always has that feeling even years later.
If u can’t study for 16 hours or so for one or two years on high school or another four years to get to good graduate school, this is where china can’ t beat US. As their pain sometimes sound mre like whiny compared to what thos kids are handling. However, it is quite right to point out that such a system lack of creation and originality, but in their university we all enter into certain type of self reigning and crazy life testing. The best were always workng hard! So put away the ideas of Chinese college students playing video games all day. Some started to prepare gre on their day one in university! Lots of activities too!
By the way there are so many top universities like fudan,rend, wuda, PKU and tsinghua are the best two. Going to a better uni gives u better chance that is it.
The system will change and US is a model. This model is been intoducd again and again to Cuna through many teachng institutes(comercial) and individual teachers. So we all know somethng abt US education system a dn will not be surprised if see a documentary of smehow a same kind on how the kids are breed up here. But we will feel e shall change our systm in a better way..
the harvard woman was misleading, there are of course second chance for the students, 80% of chinese millioniars did not graduate from high school.
i wish i was going to a school like this^_^
I wish I would go to school like this too. I feel cheated in America now. I’m now playing catch up with foreign language, math, and science. I would be frustrated having no athletics though. That’s the only downfall.
I have been using this video for a couple years in a Chinese culture class and love the view it presents, and all of the cultural discussion it raises for similarities & differences between products, practices and perspectives of US & China. I am hoping it will b available for purchase or another version will be available.
xie xie
Thank you for your interest. Some of our films are available for purchase, but it does appear that China Prep is among those for sale. Our apologies for the inconvenience.
http://ffh.films.com/wideangle