Our Story
In many stories or instances that took place in the West, whether it's a true narrative of a student or an ironic satire of applying for jobs or universities, there is often a stereotype of Chinese and even Asian students. Word goes that we live test-driven lives, that we know nothing except the tests before our eyes.
Even for those of us who take on the path of International education, the saying goes that we are still fully immersed into an ocean of exams, and that we do nothing except trying to death to overrun every competitor we know in every aspect, from studying to sports, from competition to cramming extracurriculars.
Unfortunately, this stereotype is not groundless. A vast majority of Chinese students do lead test-driven lives, with the horizons of their vision limited to the endless days of studying. That is somewhat a "zeitgeist" for most of our generation.
But undoubtedly, this stereotype is unfair. It is not all of us that always lived this way, and certainly not all of us that will always live this way. Some of us are already exploring and experimenting with things beyond, whether its photography or physics, and despite being utilitarian in our pursuits, we are also truthfully, enthusiastically, and vibrantly passionate towards the hobbies that now shape our identities and selves.
Moreover, this "zeitgeist" does not represent the slightest bit of our authentic culture; China and Asia, being the residing place of ancient and rich civilizations thousands of years old. We have our art, our architecture, our thinkers, our philosophies, but more importantly, we have a depth of culture and wisdom that, despite certain drawbacks, speaks of more than exams and cramming with studies or "involution".
So, there is the issue we explained; on one hand, an incredibly large percentile of Chinese and Asian students are still stuck in test-driven lives; on the other hand, the remainder of us who are now already way beyond that are still seeing a disadvantageous stereotype forced upon us. When that issue became clear to me, I realized that something had to be done. Something had to be done, not only to right the wrongs for those of us who don’t deserve the stereotype, but also to raise the awareness of our generation and the world, and perhaps in the future replace this culturally worthless zeitgeist.
I imagined a future where the world wouldn’t find a Chinese student somewhere someday and think, “test-robots”. I imagined a future where our generation of Chinese students and even Asian students can be freed from a life of tests and “involution” (rat race) and instead truly experience and feel the real questions and the real challenges of life. I imagined a future where our true culture rises to be stronger and stronger in us, not weaker and weaker.
I can’t change our educational system, nor could I change the minds of countless Chinese students and their parents. But I can start by showcasing those who have already awoken to the rest of the world. I can start by telling the world their stories, so that the world starts to see that the current stereotypes and the current zeitgeist are not all that there is to our generation.