Wang Yuanyuan

    A 16-year-old doctoral student has become a hot topic on the Internet due to the demands he makes of his parents and his definition of success.

    According to Chinese media, Zhang Xiyang, 16, asked his parents to buy him an apartment in Beijing without taking out a loan. He also said “having a good job, a hukou and an apartment in Beijing was the definition of success.”

    His requirements have once again drawn national attention to the education of Chinese students who start their college life much earlier than their peers.

    “I think those people are overpraised, therefore they are normally overconfident and don’t have proper knowledge of themselves and society,” said a netizen called “Fengwanliu” on his blog.

    Other netizens thought these children were normal for their age.

    “Different people have different degrees of talent. They are more talented at taking examinations, but this does not mean they are smarter than the other child. However, because of media and the examination-oriented education system, they think they are geniuses and deserve to receive special treatment. They are immature and incapable of living among ordinary people,” said Wu Hongjie, a senior student from Shenzhen University.

    Zhang entered university at the age of 10 and started his doctoral studies this September at Beihang University in Beijing.

    “In terms of academic achievement and talent, he is on the same level as any other doctoral student here,” said Zhou Meng, Zhang’s supervisor.

    “I think what he should focus on now is his research project and getting his PhD in four years,” he said.

    Zhou also suggested parents should not try to “create” a genius. “We should let their mind develop naturally. It is not necessary to give them pressure just because they may be a little smarter than the others. Many of the so-called genius children I meet are very immature and some are even paranoid, which is not good for their future,” Zhou said.