At the age of 34, he will bid farewell to the college entrance examination: recognize reality and repeat 14 years of studying for Tsinghua University. Tang Shangjun | God and Demon | Reality
Tang Shangjun, the god of the college entrance examination, is finally bidding farewell to the exam.
Yesterday morning, Tang Shangjun, who had taken the 15th college entrance examination in his life, posted, "It's time to leave - forever 18!" Attached are five dormitory photos. He packed his backpack and luggage, and left the dormitory with a plastic bucket filled with daily necessities.
A netizen asked in the comment section, "If you still haven't been admitted to Tsinghua University, do you still want to continue taking the exam?" Tang Shangjun replied, saying that someone else should continue on his behalf.
Tang Shangjun, who was studying science, once stubbornly harbored a "Tsinghua Dream". As a result, since 2010, he has been repeating long studies in various parts of Guangxi without telling his family. Now, in 8 days, he is about to turn 34 as a high school graduate.
"Tsinghua is unlikely, '985' is not a problem."
Recently, Tang Shangjun stated in a media interview that this year should be his last year participating in the college entrance examination. "I really figured it out, I don't have to be persistent anymore, because not being persistent is enough, and now I have some age," Tang Shangjun admitted, "I have realized reality, I don't have that strength."
The reform of the college entrance examination in Guangxi was also one of the reasons why Tang Shangjun decided to withdraw from the examination room. The Chao News reporter learned that the 2023 college entrance examination is the last exam for students in Guangxi's liberal arts and science disciplines. Starting from 2024, Guangxi will implement the comprehensive reform of the college entrance examination and enrollment model, which will no longer divide the liberal arts and science disciplines.
When it comes to this year's college entrance examination, Tang Shangjun said, "It's unlikely for Tsinghua University, there's no problem going to '985'." He is considering studying teacher education or agriculture, and after graduating from university, he will work in the teaching industry. "Maybe I can continue my ideas after I start working.".
On June 10th, He Hanli, a friend of Tang Shangjun and director of the documentary "High School Ten", told Chao News reporters that during this year's exam preparation, Tang Shangjun had made up his mind that this would be his last college entrance examination in his life. "No matter what the result is this time, he will attend it." He Hanli believes that Tang Shangjun will not break his promise again.
After 14 years of repeating her studies, Tang Shangjun achieved a best score of 646 in the college entrance examination and was admitted to several well-known universities, including Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Jilin University, China University of Political Science and Law, Xiamen University, Chongqing University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, but repeatedly gave up on her studies.
As one of Tang Shangjun's best friends, He Hanli has been filming him for three years since 2014, creating the documentary "High Ten", which has also attracted public attention to Tang Shangjun's lengthy re reading. In He Hanli's view, the reason why Tang Shangjun repeatedly gave up attending prestigious schools is because fate is deceiving people.
Tang Shangjun
In 2016, for the 8th time taking the college entrance examination, Tang Shangjun was admitted to the Business Administration program at China University of Political Science and Law. Coincidentally, his father was in the late stage of cancer. In the face of family ties and personal prospects, he chose family ties and received a prize of tens of thousands of yuan to treat his father's illness.
Six years later, Tang Shangjun was admitted to the nursing program at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In an interview, he said that he was very happy to learn that he was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, but the nursing program was not suitable for him. He also tried to change his major, but could not achieve it. "I also struggled for quite some time, whether to go or not, and finally chose to give up."
He Hanli said that Tang Shangjun has always wanted to study technical majors such as mechanical and electrical engineering, electronics, etc., but in order to not let his college entrance examination preferences fall through, he would choose to comply with the adjustment every time he filled out his application. "However, the nursing major that was adjusted does deviate greatly from his ideal."
More often than not, Tang Shangjun always harbors resentment towards his poor performance in the college entrance examination. In the past few years, He Hanli has advised Tang Shangjun countless times, "Let's go and study this time." He recalled, "There were several times when he promised me to report to school, but he just went to the school for a stroll, and in the end, he was still unwilling to go. He was trapped in a constant cycle of fantasies, always thinking that he could go to a better school with only a dozen points left, and the next time he did the right question in the college entrance examination, the result might be even better."
Tang Shangjun's desk
The Life Trapped by the College Entrance Examination
As he grew older, the stakes invested in the college entrance examination grew larger, and He Hanli felt that his peer's life was trapped by the exam.
Tang Shangjun once admitted to a journalist from Chao News that he has paid a great price in order to achieve his dreams over the years. "One is time, and the other is family. Time, or youth, is more of an impact on me personally. But for family, it is what I feel the most guilty about."
Tang Shangjun described his life as being in an awkward and embarrassing situation, like being stuck in a mud pit, lifting one foot up and sinking the other foot deeper. "I also really want to get out of it, enter a new environment, and have a new beginning. The things I have done and walked over the years are all my own choices, and along the way, I will also feel sad and sad."
In 2021, when Tang Shangjun was admitted to Guangxi University for the second time, he revealed his regret to He Hanli, "Three years ago, he was admitted. He said it would have been better if he had gone to study then, and he would have almost graduated. But if he had gone to the same school now, it would be equivalent to three years in vain." In He Hanli's view, at that time, Tang Shangjun had already given up his obsession with Tsinghua University. "In recent years, he has begun to compromise with reality."
Tang Shangjun packed her luggage and left the dormitory
He Hanli told Chao News reporters that during this year's exam preparation, Tang Shangjun had already made up his mind that this would be his last college entrance exam. "No matter what the result is, he will go and take it this time," he said
"Now his preferred major of choice is teacher education, followed by agriculture." He Hanli said, this is his advice to Tang Shangjun. "After graduation, becoming a teacher can transform life experiences into employment capital." This time, He Hanli believes that Tang Shangjun has listened to it.
Repeated retakes for the college entrance examination bonus?
Some netizens have questioned whether Tang Shangjun became a "nail household" in the college entrance examination, repeating his studies time and time again for the sake of the college entrance examination scholarship. Tang Shangjun responded, "I haven't thought about making money through the college entrance examination. I just want to achieve my dreams as much as possible and change the situation through the exam."
"On average, he can only receive a bonus of one or two thousand yuan per year for repeating his studies, which is basically only enough for living expenses." He Hanli said that one year, Tang Shangjun chose to go to a high school in Liuzhou to repeat his studies without any bonus and had to pay his own tuition fees. "He hopes to change his environment, adjust his learning status, and his only goal is to go to a better school." In order to earn living expenses, Tang Shangjun often works during winter and summer vacations, doing tutoring, delivering food, and also working as a temporary worker in factories.
Tang Shangjun's desk
He Hanli and Tang Shangjun were both born into rural families in Shangsi County, Guangxi. Although he does not support the repeated college entrance examination, He Hanli, who has also experienced a difficult life, understands Tang Shangjun's original intention to change his destiny through the college entrance examination. "Behind Tang Shangjun, there are countless Tang Shangjun figures that no one can see. Why do they all embark on this tortuous life together, at the cost of precious youth?" He Hanli said, filming the documentary "Top Ten" to answer this question.
"Behind this is the overall education environment based solely on fraction theory. Although quality education has been continuously promoted, there are significant regional differences in its implementation. This value orientation is like an invisible hand, always influencing students' life choices." He Hanli found that most students who choose to repeat multiple studies come from economically underdeveloped areas, such as remote western rural areas. He analyzed that on the one hand, poverty limits people's way out, and they grow up in families without favorable resource conditions, with narrow perspectives and inability to see the outside world. Because there is no other way to change fate, one can only be forced to walk one path to the end. On the other hand, the distribution of social education resources is uneven, and there is a lack of good teachers in remote towns. The education model still remains in traditional exam oriented education, and students lack open-minded leaders.
"They all have their own difficulties, such as personal personality, family issues, poor performance in exams, and mistakes in filling out college applications..." But He Hanli believes that if these students had excellent teachers to guide their life direction well, perhaps many people would not let their lives stagnate indefinitely in the college entrance examination.
He Hanli called for everyone's attention to Tang Shangjun not only to be personal, but also to jump out and see countless repeating students struggling on the college entrance examination, and to see the tide of the times behind their personal choices.
In the personal profile of her Weibo account, Tang Shangjun wrote, "I did not do what I was supposed to do at an appropriate age, did not insist on doing it, only realized it later."
