Fictional university becomes online sensation
A joke online university highlights problems of China's higher education system
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A fictional university has emerged as an online sensation during China’s competitive university recruitment season.
Shanhe University (山河大学 shānhé dàxué) began as an online joke:
"Shanhe University" became popular in this year's college entrance exam season, originating from a joke among netizens. They calculated that if each of the 3.43 million university candidates in Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei provinces paid 1,000 yuan, a total of over 3 billion yuan can be crowdsourced for a comprehensive university at the junction of the four provinces, recruiting students from the "four provinces of mountains and rivers".
“山河大学”在今年高考季走红，源于网友的一个玩笑——山东、山西、河南、河北四省343万名考生，每人出1000元，总共是三十多亿元，就可以打造一所四省交界的综合性大学，面向“山河四省”招生 [2]
Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei, are known together as “four provinces with mountains and rivers” (山河四省 shānhé sìshěng).
The name of the university is a combination of the first character in the those four provinces: shān 山 (mountain) from Shandong and Shanxi; and hé 河 (river) of Hebei and Henan.
Competition for China’s national college entrance exam, known as the gaokao, is fierce in these four provinces, which, relative to the size of the populations (178.3 million people combined), have limited choice of top universities.
Compared with the huge number of candidates, the higher education resources in the four provinces are relatively scarce. There are only four 211 colleges and universities, and only two 985 colleges and universities, both of which are in Shandong. [1]
与庞大的考生人数相比，四省的高等教育资源却相对匮乏。在四省范围内，211高校只有4所、985高校仅2所，而且这2所985院校都属于山东 [1]
Don’t know your 985s from your 211s? A quick recap:
Project 985 (985工程) was a programme to grow China’s elite universities announced at the 100th anniversary of Peking University on May 4, 1998.
Project 211 (211工程) was initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education to raise the research standards of universities in China. The name for the project comes from an abbreviation of the slogan “100 universities for the 21 century”.
In other words, 211 and 985 are China’s elite universities.
The Shanhe University meme quickly captured imaginations.
Within days it went from an online joke to a fully-fledged virtual university with a motto, an emblem, a website, and an admissions brochure.
Historical figures from the four provinces were listed as alumni.
Du Fu 杜甫, the Tang dynasty poet and a favourite of this newsletter, was named Shanhe University’s principal. A well-known line from one of his poems became the university motto, perfectly capturing the university’s ethos:
Could I have a grand mansion, spanning a thousand rooms,
I would shelter all poor scholars in the world, making them beam with smiles.
安得广厦千万间，大庇天下寒士俱欢颜
This is the last line from the poem The Wind Ruined the Roof of My Thatched Hut (茅屋为秋风所破歌 máowū wèi qiūfēng suǒ pò gē) written in 761.
Shanhe University, and the problems of higher education in these four provinces, was even brought up in a Ministry of Education press briefing on 6 July. The government committed to accelerate the improvement of higher education in these provinces.
Wu Yan, Vice Minister of Education, said, "We will continue to optimise the distribution of higher education resources, support the central and western regions, especially the populous provinces, expand the scale of higher education resources, and optimise the types of educational institutes for a more balanced regional structure.” [2]
教育部副部长吴岩表示，“将不断优化高等教育资源的布局结构，支持中西部地区，特别是人口大省，扩大高等教育资源的规模，优化类型结构和区域结构” [2]
But behind the online jokes, and commitments from government, there are serious concerns which have gone unanswered for years:
Behind this Internet extravaganza is the ridicule from students about how unbalanced educational resources are in those four provinces. It's a kind of self-consolation and emotional release to relieve the tremendous pressure of education. It is also their desire for knowledge and their hopes for a good university. [1]
这场网络狂欢背后是山河四省学子对教育资源不平衡的调侃，是在巨大压力下的一次自我安慰和心灵释放，也是他们对知识的渴望，对好大学的期待 [1]
So, unlike in the words of the Pink Floyd classic, the students of Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei and Henan DO need an education, but they are not getting it.
So that's what we explore this week!
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Favourite Five
1. 双非 shuāng fēi
double no; non-top universities that are not part of Project 211 or Project 985
这也解释了为什么这几年“双非”的深圳大学会受到考生欢迎，录取分数连年拔高 - This also explains why in recent years, Shenzhen University, which is neither 985 nor 211, has been favoured by candidates, with admission scores consistently rising. [4]
Related: 双一流 shuāng yī liú - To make things even more confusing the outsider, “double first class unis” is a new category created in 2017. It includes all 985 and 211 universities, as well as 26 non-985/211 colleges.
2. 浪浪山 làng làng shān
wave-wave-mountain, the place (mostly one's hometown) that one cannot escape from
山河大学能爆火，背后承载的是山河四省大多考生，寒窗苦读多年却翻不出浪浪山的无奈与自嘲 - Shanhe University could take the internet by storm owing to the helplessness and self-ridicule of many candidates from the four provinces, who, after years of arduous study, unfortunately fail to gain admission to prestigious universities and move out of their hometowns. [4]
Note: Where a young pig monster lives and works in the first episode of Chinese animation series “Yao — Chinese Folktales” (中国奇谭). Young Chinese relate to the pig monster, who feels stressed and overworked. His innovative ideas squashed, he just has to obey orders but dreams of escaping. “Wave Mountain” is now a metaphor for the workplace or life in general, which people hope to leave behind to pursue something better.
Related: 书简湖 shū jiǎn hú - Shu Jian Lake. From a chapter in a novel called The Sword (剑来 jiàn lái), with same meaning as 浪浪山.
3. 候鸟生 hòu niǎo shēng
high-school students who go to school in another city but take Gaokao exam in the place of their Hukou
高校数量和质量分布不均衡，导致部分地区出现“留守生”和“候鸟生”现象 - The uneven distribution of the quantity and quality of universities has resulted in the phenomenon of "left-behind students" and "migratory students" in some areas. [4]
Note: Linked to the problems of China’s Gaokao system: If your 户籍 and 学籍 are different, you can’t take a gaokao exam in the city you go to school.
4. 横空出世 héng kōng chū shì
emerge suddenly and rise to prominence
横空出世的“山河大学”，什么来头 - Out of the blue came Shanhe University - what is it all about? [1]
More: Learn more in The China Project Phrase of the Week.
5. 再穷不能穷教育 zài qióng bù néng qióng jiào yù
no matter how poor the family is, education should not be neglected
河南人的穷，首先就在于“穷教育”，这些年拼命扩张郑州大学 - The poverty of Henan people is primarily because of the "poverty of education". In recent years, there has been a desperate expansion of Zhengzhou University. [3]
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 匮乏 kuì fá
lacking, scarce
在教育层面，它们更是面临同样的问题，高考人数众多但教育资源相对匮乏- Education is also facing the same problem: A large number of candidates but scarce educational resources. [1]
Related:
缺乏 quē fá - lack, shortage, deficiency
欠缺 qiàn quē - to be lacking, to be deficient in
Note: 匮乏 and 欠缺 are always placed after a noun; 缺乏 is often placed before one (it can be used as a verb). For example, 资源匮乏, but not 资源缺乏 or 资源欠缺; 缺乏营养, but not 营养匮乏. Easy! 🙌
7. 铠甲 kǎi jiǎ
armour, protective gear
他们不得不自己塑造一副精神上的铠甲，用以抵御各种挫折 - They have to build their own spiritual armor to withstand various setbacks. [1]
8. 诙谐 huī xié
humorous, witty
以一种具象、诙谐而朗朗上口的话语概念抛出，在短时间内引发广泛的共情与共鸣，丝毫不让人意外 - With a concept presented in a concrete, humorous, and catchy language, it is no surprise that it triggered widespread empathy and resonanated in a short period of time. [2]
9. 众筹 zhòng chóu
crowdfunding
众筹建校、四省共享 - Crowdfunding for building a school shared by four provinces. [2]
10. 绿林 lǜ lín
green woods, society
透着一股江湖绿林的万丈豪情，可毕竟是当不得真的戏谑之言 - It exudes an heroic sentiment reminiscent of that of the martial arts world, but ultimately, it is nothing more than a joke. [2]
Related: Similar to one of my all-time favourites: 江湖 jiāng hú.
11. 像样 xiàng yàng
decent, presentable
河南人都爱吹嘘自己悠久的历史文化，但是你连一所像样的大学都没有，这只能说明“历史的断裂” - Henan often boasts of its long heritage, but the absence of a decent university can only indicate a "break in history". [3]
12. 境遇 jìng yù
situation, circumstances, plight
扩展到更大范围的“山河四省”，境遇其实也差不多 - If you look at the four provinces, you'll see the situation is actually quite similar. [3]
Three-character phrases
13. 终身制 zhōng shēn zhì
lifelong appointment, tenure
中国的985和211，一旦评选出来后，几乎就是“终身制” - Once universities are selected as 985 or 211, it's almost like a "lifelong appointment". [3]
14. 没成想 méi chéng xiǎng
never expected, unexpectedly
没成想有几千名相同遭遇的毕业生都来报道，成为父母眼中的骄傲 - Unexpectedly, thousands of graduates who share the same experiences have come to the university, becoming the pride of their parents. [4]
Related: Similar to 没想到 or 没曾想
Idioms
15. 天马行空 tiān mǎ xíng kōng
unrestrained imagination, wild and fanciful ideas
天马行空的想象，当然谈不上可行性 - Wild and fanciful ideas, of course, lack practicality. [2]
16. 毋庸讳言 wú yōng huì yán
there is no need to deny, it is needless to say
然而毋庸讳言，大学特别是好大学更多的省份，在指标投放等环节，总归是要占些便宜的 - However, there is no need to deny that provinces with more universities, especially prestigious ones, have an advantage in university recruitment. [2]
Related: 毋庸置疑 wú yōng zhì yí - no doubt
17. 望而生畏 wàng ér shēng wèi
to be intimidated by, to feel overwhelmed by
山东人考研让人望而生畏 - How hard students from Shandong work for the postgraduate entrance examination intimidates people. [3]
18. 寒窗苦读 hán chuāng kǔ dú
cold window bitter study; to study diligently and arduously in seclusion
百万学子寒窗苦读拼命“卷”，却卷不出“书简湖” - Millions of students study diligently in seclusion, tirelessly preparing for exams, but they cannot achieve the desired results in the competitive examination system that is like a "Shu Jian Lake." [4]
19. 水涨船高 shuǐ zhǎng chuán gāo
as the water rises, so does the boat
吸引到更多人才汇聚，教育资源的发展自然也水涨船高 - Attracting more talent leads to the natural growth and improvement of educational resources. [4]
Note: Normally refers to prices going up.
20. 纸上谈兵 zhǐ shàng tán bīng
to discuss military strategy on paper; armchair speculation
从这个逻辑点出发，没有经济资源的汇聚，开再多的“山河大学”，都是纸上谈兵 - From this logical standpoint, creating numerous "Shanhe Universities" would be mere armchair speculation without the accumulation of economic resources. [4]
21. 老生常谈 lǎo shēng cháng tán
a topic or issue that is often talked about without any new insights, cliché
伴随着这个虚构高校同时翻新的老生常谈的话题，还有教育公平和当下教育的发展困境 - Alongside the topic of this fictional university, there are also the perennial topics of education fairness and the current challenges in educational development. [4]
Phrases
22. 网络情绪 wǎng luò qíng xù
online sentiment, internet emotions
人们对山河大学极度渴望的这种网络情绪不是被放大的结果，而是大家共同的呼声 - The strong support for Shanhe University is not something that is amplied by the internet, but rather the shared voice of the people . [1]
23. 分配不均 fēn pèi bù jūn
unequal distribution, uneven allocation
面对当前高等教育资源分配不均的现状，只有不断推进高等教育均衡发展 - Faced with the current situation of unequal distribution of resources, the only solution is to continuously promote the balanced development of higher education. [4]
24. 刻在骨子里 kè zài gǔ zi lǐ
to be deeply ingrained, to be etched in one's bones
高考之痛刻在每个山河四省学子的骨子里 - The pain of the college entrance examination is deeply felt in the hearts of every student from the four provinces of Shanhe. [1]
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