China’s Education Dilemma: Balancing Exams and Creativity

By Junjie Yang 

China’s education system has long been driven by a singular goal: success in the Gaokao, the national college entrance examination that defines a student’s academic future. This system, known as exam-oriented education, has shaped the educational direction of the country for decades. However, recent debates have centered on the need for quality education, which promotes a more holistic approach by nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. The conflict between these two represents a critical juncture in China’s education reform.

On the surface, exam-oriented education seems to promise fairness. Every student, regardless of their background, faces the same test. For many students not in the city, the Gaokao serves as their only hope for a better future, a narrow, but essential pathway to escape poverty. In provinces like Gansu or Guizhou, where resources are poor, students view the Gaokao as a single beam of light on an otherwise dark educational journey.

However, beneath this veneer of fairness lies a cruel reality: the resources available to prepare for the Gaokao are far from equal. According to a 2019 report from the China Institute for Educational Finance Research, the per-student funding in rural areas can be up to 50% lower than that in urban schools. In many rural schools, resources are often limited. Teachers may be inexperienced, classrooms may lack the latest technology, and students may not have access to additional tutoring or learning materials. For instance, in some rural schools in provinces like Gansu or Guizhou, classes are overcrowded, and teachers may teach multiple subjects due to a lack of staff. Students often use old textbooks and have little access to modern learning tools such as computers or science labs.       

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Fremont: The Asian American City that rates as “Happiest” in the United States

In the movie Didi, the lead character Chris seems anything but happy.  Ironically, his home of Fremont, which is also the home town of Didi‘s creator Sean Wang, was selected by Wallethub as the happiest city in the United States.  One doesn’t typically associated Asian Americans with great happiness, so how could this majority Asian city of 224,000 (62%) be voted as such a happy place?

To understand how Fremont could rank so high, it is best to look at the criteria that WalletHub used.  They had tree broad categories:  “Emotional and Physical Well-Being,” “Income and Employment,” and “Community and Environment.” “Emotional and Physical Well-Being”  included things like life satisfaction, suicide rate, life expectancy. “Income and Employment” included not just income, but measures of poverty rate , job security, and job satisfaction and opportunity.  “Community and Environment” includes separation and divorce rate, hate crime incidents per capita, and park land per resident.

Is Fremont really all that happy?  I lived there through my high school years and after college, and for Asian Americans, it can be a very comfortable place.  Asian Americans are by far the majority in the city, so it feels safe from hate crimes, which is ironic given the resistance that they encountered when becoming more prominent in the city. There are plenty of parks, and I have enjoyed putting in miles running around Fremont’s Lake Elizabeth (pictured above) and Quarry Lakes park. Mission Peak is popular place to hike, to the point where the area around Mission Peak has gotten overloaded at times. Although actress Joan Chen lived in the Bay Area for years and raised her family in San Francisco, she had never visited Fremont before making the movie.  She said in an interview:

I’ve lived here forever and never been to Fremont.  I discovered all these wonderful boba teahouses, Asian restaurants and Asian markets. It’s actually a very wonderful suburb.

I can vouch for that – Fremont does have decent Asian food.

Is Fremont happy for everyone? While it is often great for Asian Americans, it can be not so great for African Americans.  This article from Metro Silicon Valley cites an African American man who says that while it is safer, it is hard to find the same kind of community that he had in Oakland. Fremont can also be a hard place to live if you don’t make a lot of money – the Metro cites a publisher who had to move as he couldn’t afford it any more when he retired.

As I mentioned above, I found Fremont to be a great to live, although definitely not perfect. It’s interesting that in a time when immigrants are being vilified, a heavily immigrant place could be rated as the happiest city in the US.

(photo credit: Oleg Alexandrov  licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)

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The Men who Fed America: A StoryCorps Animation about Larry Itliong

We have talked previously about Johnny Itliong’s StoryCorp recording about his father, the labor leader Larry Itliong, but I thought that the best way to mark the start of Filipino American History Month would be to share this new StoryCorps animation of that recording called “The Men Who Fed America.” The animation accentuates the impoverished living conditions of those Filipino American farm workers and the poignancy and sadness of how they died.

Other StoryCorps animations about AAPIs that you should check out are Lola’s Work, The Last Viewing, and No More Questions.

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Where’s Chinatown?

Chinatown, Los Angeles. Walking through there, it’s obvious that the neighborhood is struggling. With broken sidewalks, empty and abandoned stores, widespread vandalism, and a lack of commercial activity, it’s no wonder that hardly anyone walks through these streets. Though there are some cultural attractions and authentic Chinese cuisine, the region as a whole is a far cry from the ethnoburb San Gabriel Valley (SGV), where many affluent Chinese residents migrated to after the decline of Chinatown. Nowadays, Chinatown is one of the poorest regions of Los Angeles with some of the lowest median income and highest rates of poverty. Though there is some new development, the future of Chinatown is a tossup, and it is unclear if the neighborhood will prosper in the future, or wallow in poverty as it had for the past century. But how did we get here?

Located just north of Downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown was historically an important location for Chinese immigrants during the 19th century Gold Rush in the Los Angeles region. Thousands of Chinese immigrants came to Los Angeles to work on the first transcontinental railroad, settling in “Old Chinatown”, a small area consisting of just over a dozen streets in the southeast corner of today’s Chinatown. Though Chinese workers contributed heavily to the railroad industry in Southern California, such as the San Fernando Tunnel which LA’s Metrolink services run through today, their efforts were hardly rewarded. Instead, Chinese residents found themselves facing vitriolic racial discrimination and violence. In 1871, a mob of 500 people stormed Chinatown and killed around 18 people – 8 people were convicted, but those convictions were later overturned. The Chinese Massacre of 1871 would mark one of the darkest days in Chinese American history, but the violence didn’t stop there.

The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act forbade Chinese immigrants from becoming US citizens; later, the California Alien Land Law of 1913 prevented residents who were ineligible for citizenship from buying land, effectively disallowing Chinese residents to purchase land or become US citizens. Nevertheless, Old Chinatown continued to expand eastward, and the Chinese population grew as the economy shifted from agriculture to an urban economy marked by the service industry. The LAist remarked that Old Chinatown was at its peak around 1900, when it consisted of around 15 streets and 200 units across multiple buildings. However, this growth was about to come to an end with a new train station.

In the 1920s, Los Angeles residents voted for a new train station near Downtown. The new Los Angeles Union Station was constructed in the Chinatown neighborhood, and in the process, it demolished much of Old Chinatown. At the same time, the rest of Old Chinatown was demolished to make way for the 101 freeway during the 1940s and 50s. As a result, only a portion of one building from Old Chinatown remains: the Garnier Building, which houses the Chinese American Museum. Though Old Chinatown was effectively gone, the region would find a second life in a New Chinatown that brought revitalization to the area.
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BYD Atto 3: A New Contender in the EV Market

 

By Tsejing Lim

Electric cars have rapidly emerged as a popular eco-friendly transportation option. In the past decade, they have gained significant traction, with many consumers turning to popular names like Tesla, KIA, or other major automakers that have transitioned to electric vehicles. However, in China, a relatively unknown car manufacturer to Americans, BYD, is making an impact with vehicles that could potentially rival or surpass American EVs in the near future.

Tesla initially dominated the electric vehicle market by being one of the first to mass-produce EVs. They offered high-quality batteries, secure safety features, efficient charging solutions, and even advanced self-driving technology. However, the relatively new technology came with some challenges. Users discovered issues such as poor battery performance in cold weather and limited charging stations. Over time, Tesla addressed many of these problems and released new models as well as expanded its charging network. Yet, a significant competitor was emerging quietly from China.

One of BYD’s standout models is the BYD Atto 3, their most popular SUV in the high-performance line. The Atto 3 holds impressive specifications: it features a front-wheel-drive system, a 400-volt lithium battery with a 60-kilowatt-hour capacity, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7 seconds, and has a torque of 310 Newton Meters. It offers a range of 490 km on a single charge, though this drops to 330 km in colder weather. The Atto 3 also holds a 5-star safety rating.

I had the opportunity to see the BYD Atto 3 in person at the New York Auto Show and was shocked by how a major company I had never heard of was making such an impact. The interior design is inspired by gym equipment, with uniquely shaped, colorful elements that stand out. Another surprise was the price: starting at $40,000, it is significantly more affordable than the Tesla Model Y, which, despite having slightly better overall statistics, is priced $20,000 higher. This price difference does not seem to justify the additional cost for most consumers. Continue reading

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Asian American Admissions after the end of Racial Affirmative Action

After the end of racial Affirmative Action last year, a key question of interest emerged:  how would admissions to elite colleges be affected? Would Asian American admissions skyrocket?  Would be Black and Hispanic numbers decline? Looking at some summaries of admissions at different elite colleges says it is clear that the results are not clear.

Why isn’t it clear?  Asian American admissions at Princeton, Duke, and Yale declined slightly, with minor differences in Black and Hispanic enrollment.  At MIT, Asian American admissions increased from 40% to 47% while Black student admissions dropped from 15% to 5% and Hispanic students declined from 16% to 11%. Columbia University saw a rise in At Harvard, the center of the Supreme Court case, the percentage of Asian Americans remained at 37% while Hispanic students increase to 16% from 14% and Black Students fell from 18% to 14%.  Overall, not much different from the previous year for Harvard.

If admissions officers could no longer look at race as a factor, why would there be such mixed results?  Princeton tried to diversity by increasing its percentage of students on financial aid (71%).  Also, with many more students deciding not to check the box for race (7.7% from 1.8% at Princeton last year), the numbers could be skewed.

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the organization that sued Harvard to end Affirmative Action, was disappointed by some of these results.   They have sent a letter to Princeton, Duke, and Yale asking about their practices and threatening to see if they don’t get an answer. A key excerpt from the letter to Duke:

SFFA is deeply concerned that you are not complying with Harvard. You told the Supreme Court that, without explicit racial preferences, it would be impossible to “obtain the diverse student body” that you obtained in the past. Amici Br. of Brown Univ. et al. at 25, perma.cc/7QW6-NBSH. Notable peer institutions are also reporting much higher percentages of Asian Americans, like Harvard (37%), Columbia (39%), and MIT (47%). And based on SFFA’s extensive experience, your racial numbers are not possible under true race neutrality. You refused to eliminate legacy preferences. And socioeconomic preferences would not cause a decrease in Asian-American enrollment.

I find this letter interesting.  It does make the accurate point that universities said in an amicus brief that without affirmative action, they couldn’t not have diverse student bodies.  With their recent results, they proved that their own amicus was incorrect.  Then again, some people celebrate that fact.  Richard Kahlenberg, a long time opponent of race-based affirmative action and an advocate of class-based affirmative action and an expert witness for SFFA in the Harvard case, thinks the results from these universities and from Harvard are a positive thing:

“There were predictions that the Black population could fall to 2 percent at some universities and 6 percent at Harvard, and that did not happen. I want there to be racial diversity on campus. I think it showed it was possible to achieve that without racial preferences.”

Some commenters on the situation said that it may take a few years to shake out.  OiYan Poon, a researcher of college admissions, points out the admissions numbers fluctuate and one year is too soon to draw conclusions. After Michigan and California banned affirmative action in there was a big drop in admissions for Blacks and Hispanics students, but those numbers went back up again.  And what almost all of these discussions leave out is the fact there are many less selective colleges and universities where you can get a good education for less.

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Why Hot Pot Is The Best Meal in China

By Bing Fu Huang

There are few meals in this world as amazing as hot pot. A hot pot is a communal meal where diners cook their own ingredients in a boiling broth. Chinese hot pot is especially becoming popular around the world, with restaurants like Haidilao. The hot pot is very convenient and popular in China and around the world for various reasons.

REASON #1 Convenience 

The hot pot is very convenient. In China, there are many places where you can eat hot pot. For example, when shopping or in some store beside the street, you’ll find hot pot restaurants everywhere. Also, it’s convenient because when we eat the hot pot, people can put in the pot what they feel like and eat what is tasty food for them. The restaurant provides not only the hot pot seasoning but also the main ingredients. The soup base is also convenient. The key to a good hot pot is the soup base, and there are usually at least two flavors to choose from: plain and spicy. But the options are endless. 

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Indian Rock: Bloodywood

As a teenager in the 1990s, the complaint from adults was: “Your music is too loud.”

As an adult today, my complaint to young people is: “Your music is too quiet.”

At some point, the music stopped getting louder. Those of us who spent our formative years witnessing Nirvana dethroning big hair pop and then growing up to become the likes of Linkin Park and Incubus have a yearning for music that inspires the primal need to smash a beloved guitar after a mournful solo a la Brandon Lee in The Crow.

Enter Bloodywood, a breath of politically charged heavy metal fresh air perfectly infused with traditional Indian sounds and soulfully screamed in no less than three languages at a time. Make no mistake, Bloodywood is not just a rehash of that 90s irreverent rage but a true modern torch bearer of its spirit with proper evolution that moves the art forward.

Even a few seconds listening to Bloodywood tunes will make it immediately clear it is siren song for those who came of age in the last decade of the last century. But it’s not just the music–the content of their lyrics also just goes there.

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The Father of LoFi Hip-Hop: Nujabes Jun Seba

By Spencer Wong

At the beginning of middle school, I never really thought about music, and that was mostly because I only ever listened to the radio. I didn’t really enjoy what was on the radio, so I never really thought about listening to music on my own. But when I first heard a song by Nujabes, I never expected that I would love listening to music. 

I was with my brother on the car ride home, and he was telling me to check out this song he liked from an artist called Nujabes. I wasn’t really interested in music, but I was curious because he really wanted me to hear it,  so I decided to just listen along with him. While listening, I felt something that I’d never felt before. The music moved me, it felt unique, and for some reason I felt special. Before this, I never really liked any songs in particular. This was the first time I honestly enjoyed listening to music, and it was Nujabes that sparked my interest. 

Nujabes was a musician named Jun Seba who was born on February 7, 1974 in Nishi-azabu district in Tokyo. He was a Japanese artist that created beats for songs. He was known as the father of lofi hip-hop because he was one of the first people to popularize this genre of music, and lots of artists ended up taking inspiration from him with the style of music he was using. He was a producer that made songs with many artists and also made soundtracks for TV shows. One of his most popular soundtrack songs was Aruarian Dance, which was used in the anime Samurai Champloo

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Filipino American Cristeta Comerford Retires as White House Executive Chef

Filipino American Cristeta Comerford has retired as White House Executive Chef after working almost 30 years in the White House.  She prepared food for five US presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. This interview that she did with NPR has some interesting highlights of her long career.

She first moved from the Philippines as a 23 year old.  As White House Executive Chef, she doesn’t just prepare and plan meals for the president, but needs to plan an execute State Dinners, events with high visibility, much complexity, and potential international consequences. The It is a role significant enough to have a Wikipedia Page of White House Executive Chefs, and US State Dinners have their own Wikipedia page also. One of my favorite stories from the NPR interview is whether she prepared anything Filipino.  She said that since Barack Obama grew up in Hawaii, he was familiar with Filipino food and likes Filipino grilled barbecue skewers.

In addition to working in the White House, she has done other interesting things.  She promoted healthy methods to prepare AAPI foods.  She teamed up with Bobby Flay to win an episode of Iron Chef.

After retiring, Comerford moved to South Florida.  I tried to find who her replacement is, but I couldn’t find who it is. My guess is that the decision is deferred, so either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will hire the next executive chef. To find out more on Cristeta Comerford and her previous role, check out this US State Department web page on State Dinners, along with her NPR interview.

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Asian American Brunch

When the Number Two Son and his girlfriend invited The Wife and me to brunch, I didn’t realize that our meal at Tanzie’s Cafe would be representative of an emerging food trend – the Asian American brunch. Terry Tang of AP recently published an article about Asian American brunch spots in the Bay Area and other places. I think it is great to see how Asian flavors are being widely adopted in with something not usually associated with Asian food. I was also struck by how pan-Asian some of these places can be with their flavor – the beginnings of a mainland Asian American cuisine?

First, what is “Asian American Brunch?”  It’s a mix of traditional brunch and Asian American flavors.  The AP article mentioned dishes like chicken and pandan waffles.  I have seen other fusions like a blueberry moffle (Mochi Waffles, moffles, which were invented in Japan).  At Tanzie’s, they have eggs with sausage, except that the sausage is Chiang Mai stye Sai ua and the eggs are on top of rice (shown below).


lt is interesting how pan-Asian the items can be. Some places, like Sweet Maple, have items like blueberry moffles, green papaya salad, and Korean fried chicken all on the same menu.  This video by the same author says that this style of brunch popular is with Gen Z in heavily Asian American areas. That was certainly the case with us an our brunch outing, as Number Two Son and his girlfriend are Gen Z.  Hawaiian food is a mix of cuisines from all over Asia and American food – this made me wonder if we are seeing a new kind of Asian American cuisine emerge on the US mainland. Sweet Maple has loco moco on their menu, perhaps as a nod to that notion.

Tang’s article notes that there are other Asian American brunch places other than the ones she mentions.  That is definitely true – The Wife and I went to some of these without even knowing that this was a trend.  I am looking forward to trying some of the places she mentions and seeing how brunch and Asian American food continues to evolve.

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Thailand’s Heat Deaths Highlight Increasing Importance of Air Conditioning in the Face of Rising Heat-Related Fatalities

By Eric Qin

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As reported in EFE, April and early May of this year witnessed unprecedented heat across Thailand. Temperatures soared to 44.2°C in Lampang, nearing the all-time high of 44.6°C, while Bangkok experienced temperatures approaching 40°C for several consecutive days. The extreme heat significantly exacerbated the risk of heat-related illnesses, particularly in regions already vulnerable due to their geographical and socio-economic conditions. The northeastern rural region of Thailand, where 33 deaths were recorded, suffered the most. This was followed by 13 deaths in the central region and 10 in the north, underscoring the disproportionate impact on specific areas of the country. With a total of 61 deaths from heat stroke already recorded this year—nearly double the total for all of 2023—it is evident that extreme temperatures are becoming more frequent and severe. 

The rising number of heat-related deaths in Thailand and neighboring countries underscores the essential role of air conditioning in safeguarding public health. As global temperatures continue to rise, air conditioning is no longer a luxury but necessary for many regions facing extreme heat. Air conditioning can significantly reduce the risk of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses by maintaining a cool indoor environment. This is particularly important for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, young children, and those with preexisting health conditions. A cool indoor space can differentiate between life and death during extreme heat events.

The demographic most affected by this deadly Thailand heat wave were middle-aged or elderly men, particularly those working outdoors in agriculture and construction. This highlights the increased vulnerability of outdoor workers to extreme heat, as they are often exposed to harsh conditions for prolonged periods. For outdoor workers in sectors like agriculture and construction, access to air-conditioned rest areas can provide critical relief from the heat, reducing the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Employers should prioritize the creation of such spaces to ensure the safety and well-being of their employees. This protects workers, enhances productivity, and reduces absenteeism due to heat-related health issues.  Continue reading

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