On April 2, 2025, Peking University (PKU) announced the names of 13 candidates admitted to its postgraduate programs in physical education. Among them was 24-year-old table tennis star Wang Chuqin, who will begin full-time studies at the university this September.
Wang is one of China’s top table tennis talents. He clinched gold in both mixed doubles and the men’s team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and previously won the men’s singles title at the World Table Tennis Finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
His admission to PKU has ignited debate online, not for his athletic achievements but for how he got in. While most of China’s 3.88 million postgraduate applicants had to sit a rigorous nationwide written exam in December followed by an interview in March, Wang was exempt from the preliminary written test. He only participated in the second-round interview held by PKU.
On April 2, PKU’s Department of Physical Education explained that Wang received a written exam exemption due to his status as an Olympic champion.
The news drew mixed reactions across social media. Many netizens questioned whether the exemption was fair to other candidates who spent months preparing for the written exam. “It’s unfair,” some argued. “Everyone else had to compete under the same rules.”
Others, however, saw the decision as justified. They argued that Wang’s outstanding achievements in international sport more than qualified him for a spot at one of China’s top universities.
Commentators noted that the divided opinions reflect broader tensions in China’s education system. In a society long dominated by exam-based assessments, many still see standardized testing as the most objective method of selecting talent. But experts say a more mature system should embrace diverse standards and pathways for evaluating merit.
Old Version
