Jiang Fangzhou, a 36-year-old writer from Hubei province in central China, has been stripped of her master’s degree due to plagiarism. Jiang, who began writing at the age of seven and published her first book, Open the Skylight, at nine, was once hailed as a literary prodigy. Her early works, including a novel published at 11 addressing puberty and school bullying, captivated many.

In 2008, Jiang scored 561 out of 750 points on China’s highly competitive National Higher Education Entrance Examination (gaokao). Despite this, she was admitted to the prestigious Tsinghua University’s journalism school through an exceptional admission process that effectively added 60 points to her score. This admission sparked criticism, with some accusing Tsinghua of leveraging her celebrity status and undermining the fairness of the examination system.

Tsinghua University defended its decision, stating that experts had identified Jiang’s exceptional writing ability and potential, and argued that strict reliance on exam scores risked overlooking unconventional talent.

The revocation of Jiang’s degree has attracted significant public interest, with reports indicating the story has garnered over 200 million views online.

Background

  • Jiang grew up in an ordinary family; her mother is a Chinese-language teacher and online writer, and her father is a railway police officer.
  • Her first book, Open the Skylight, was praised as literature for children written by a child, drawing on her experiences as a class monitor.

Controversy

  • Critics have accused Tsinghua University of trading on Jiang’s celebrity to admit her through an exceptional process, raising concerns about fairness in China’s education system.
  • The university maintains that exceptional talent should be recognized beyond rigid exam scores.

Public Reaction

The plagiarism scandal and degree revocation have sparked widespread discussion across China, reflected in the massive online viewership.

Source Attribution: Reporting by Zoey Zhang for South China Morning Post World.

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