Knowledge and talent will always triumph

When I look back at last year, Liu Haifeng, director of the Institute of Education at Xiamen University in Fujian province, stands out from all the people I interviewed.

Early in the year, I was collecting materials and looking for interviews for a two-page story about the 40th anniversary of the revival of the gaokao, the national university entrance exam. Liu, who had published some articles online about his research into the exam and his experience when he took it in 1977, immediately attracted my attention.

Our discussion, which lasted more than two hours, took me through events more than four decades ago, during the “cultural revolution” (196676), when the exam was suspended and knowledge and talent were despised.

Many young people rejected the belief that knowledge could change destinies, but not Liu.

As a zhiqing, or “sent-down youth” — one of many young people who were sent to the countryside to learn from the farmers — in a rural part of Fujian, he seized every opportunity to read and gain knowledge after finishing his farming work. He dreamed that one day he could attend college and then lead a good life.

The hoped-for day finally arrived. In the winter of 1977, the gaokao was revived. With a solid foundation laid through extensive reading and the full preparation he had made for the exam, Liu was one of just 5 percent of the 5.7 million candidates who were successful.

His experience made me realize that knowledge and talent may be overshadowed for periods of time, but will always show their value.

Over the 40 years since the exam was reinstated, complaints have been aired from time to time, such as inequality between candidates from different provinces and regions.

However, compared with Liu and his peers, I feel that young people in China today have much easier access to the gaokao and higher education.

In 2016, the gross enrollment ratio for higher education reached 42.7 percent, meaning that more than four in every 10 people ages 18 to 22 attended college. Next year, the figure is expected to reach 50 percent.

Young people are now being offered a wide range of opportunities and choices.

In a report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC, said education will be prioritized to accelerate the pace of modernization and develop an education system that will satisfy people. He also said continuous efforts would be made to build China’s universities into worldclass facilities.

I believe this will create more and better opportunities to allow young people to thrive.

I’m looking forward to covering more stories about the younger generation in the new era, which I believe will be as inspiring as Liu’s story. Contact the writer at zhaoxinying@ chinadaily.com.cn