Few classes, pizza for lunch and admission to top universities: the lifestyle of elite Chinese secondary school students causes fury

In one blog post, a student claims a friend was admitted to a top university without having to take the gaokao exam

The anger came as a new word entered the lexicon that described the “meaningless” rat-race of Chinese society

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Two posts describing a posh lifestyle at elite Chinese secondary schools has put the microscope on the gap in expectations within China’s education system. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 11:13pm, 22 May 2021Updated: 11:31am, 24 May 2021

The gap in financial resources among China’s rich and poor schools was criticised last week after a video, and a separate blog post, flaunted the posh lifestyles of students at elite Chinese secondary schools.

The posts, both of which went viral, irked the public, who said they highlighted the educational privilege and inherent classism in the Chinese school system.

A vlogger claiming to be an alumnus of Affiliated High School of Peking University, a Beijing secondary school that is one of the most prestigious in China, published a video taken during an event in which alumni visit their old school. She recorded herself walking around campus and described a typical day that felt free of the pressures and responsibilities often placed on typical Chinese students.

“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.

A student laughs while taking a coding class in Beijing. A viral vlog post has highlighted the gap in resources between rich and poor schools. Photo: AFP

The video, posted initially on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, started trending on Weibo on Sunday and was the source of disparagement all of last week.