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Let's make exceptions for real talents

By Zhu Yuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-27 08:13

Is it a mistake or a feat? Maybe both.

A candidate from Sichuan province chose to write his essay for the national college entrance examination earlier this month in ancient Chinese pictographs. The choice was the first of its kind in at least three decades.

Hundreds of ancient Chinese characters, most of which used to be carved on tortoise shells or animal bones, in an essay are certainly beyond the understanding of ordinary teachers reviewing them.

Experts had to be called in to decipher the characters.

The student got only 8 points out of the full score of 60 for his essay, which reduced his total score to only 428, making it impossible for him to enter a prestigious university.

True, there are no specifications to prohibit the use of ancient Chinese characters in entrance exams. But it still doesn't justify the student's choice to write his essay in a language only a few can understand.

It is not unreasonable for teachers to give his essay a low score according to their judgment of the deciphered version. Teachers found his essay was not really to the point.

However, the process of selecting and cultivating talented candidates for education of higher learning should never be the same as that of manufacturing industrial products.

The latter needs the process to be as precise as possible to guarantee product quality. But, the former should always create an exception to select a real genius for a particular field of study. Only in this way can students have a chance to develop their talents.

Late scholar Qian Zhongshu (1910-98), known as a master in both Chinese and Western cultures, was so poor in mathematics that he got only 10 points in the subject in his entrance exam for the Tshinghua University. He was still enrolled as an exception.

The exception paved way for Qian to become a guru in the study of Chinese and Western cultures.

The study of ancient Chinese characters seems boring to many. And it is impossible for a scholar in this field to make big bucks. But the field is indispensable for the research in ancient Chinese culture and archeology.

The fact that a high school student can write an essay using such characters, even if it is just a hotchpotch of pictographs from different historical stages, is good news for the subject.

"To prefer it is better than just to know it, to delight in it is even better than just to prefer it." The adage by our ancient sage Confucius points exactly to the essence of education - to let students love what they are learning or to let those who have special interest in a particular field of learning do even a better job by providing them the conditions they need.

True, the student admitted he expected extra attention with his "different" essay. But so what? How many students can do that?

Sure, he chose the wrong occasion to show off his unique capability. But that should not overshadow his talent.

If an education system denies talented candidates the opportunity to develop their genius only for the sake of maintaining its systematic rigidity, it can definitely be deemed as the killer of real minds.

Luckily, a professor of ancient Chinese characters from the prestigious Fudan University has offered to help the student surnamed Huang.