Vocational School Student Jang Ping Gains Attention in China
Advances to Finals with High Scores at Prestigious University Math Competition
Story Involving Teacher Also Sparks Interest... Netizens Show Support
A student from a vocational high school in China made headlines by qualifying for the finals of a math competition held on the 13th. On the 19th, local media outlet 'Zhongguo Xinwen Zhoukan' reported, "Zhang Ping (17), a female student attending Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Jiangsu Province, scored 93 points in the preliminary round of the global math competition hosted by Alibaba, advancing to the finals." This score ranked her 12th among the 801 finalists.
The final round included a total of 801 participants from 17 countries and regions, with an average age of 22. Among the top 30 finalists, besides Zhang Ping, most were graduates from prestigious universities such as the University of Cambridge, MIT, Peking University, and Tsinghua University. Local media focused on Zhang Ping's story behind her math skills, and netizens have also been showing their support for her.
Zhang Ping's story is as follows. Although she excelled in math during middle school, her high school entrance exam scores were not good enough, so she entered a vocational school. However, her math talent was recognized by a teacher named Wang Lunqiu. After enrollment, Zhang Ping scored over 130 out of 150 on a math test, ranking first with nearly a 70-point lead over the second place. Consequently, Wang Lunqiu, who holds a master's degree in mathematics, recommended that Zhang Ping self-study university-level math courses. Zhang Ping and Wang Lunqiu both participated in this competition, with Wang Lunqiu ranking 125th in the preliminaries. Zhang Ping surpassed her teacher.
Yan Jun, a high school math teacher from Singapore who also qualified for the finals, said, "I studied math throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies, but I could never reach the 93 points Zhang Ping achieved. She has innate talent." Yao Yijun, a professor at the School of Mathematical Sciences at Fudan University in Shanghai, stated, "Judging by the quality of her answers, conservatively speaking, 95% of domestic math majors would not be able to produce answers at Zhang Ping's level within the time limit."
China's state-run Global Times reported, "Vocational high schools and colleges in China often bear the stigma of being places for 'failed students,'" adding, "In recent days, many Chinese netizens have been shocked by her math talent and are showing their support." Prestigious universities such as Tongji University and Jiangsu University have announced, "We welcome Zhang Ping's application."
Zhang Ping said, "I used to think I was not qualified to participate in such competitions," adding, "Maybe this can be an opportunity to prove myself." She is currently majoring in fashion design but expressed hope that her career path could also continue in mathematics.
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