British media praise China's college entrance compositions

Students in a bus on their way to sit the college entrance exam in Dexing, Jiangxi Province, on June 6. About 9.57 million registered pupils are sitting China's national college entrance exam which kicks off on June 7.

Commenting on 20 composition titles for China's national college entrance exams 2010, British media agencies praised them as innovative on June 9.

The Daily Telegraph in England published an article titled "Why do Cats Chase Mice if Fish are Plentiful" and even translated 20 composition titles into English. The caricature for the national composition, "Why Chase Mice When There Are Fish to Eat?" and its English translations were also published.

The article said China's entrance exams change students' futures and compared it to "an army of 10,000 horses trying cross a single log bridge."

Peter Foster, Chinese news writer for the Daily Telegraph wrote in the article that traditionally, China has a basic but not innovative education system. They instill knowledge into students' minds but cannot cultivate their creativity and leadership that China desperately needs. However, Foster added these composition titles are very different.

The article mainly introduced the composition title for the entrance exams, "Why Chase Mice When There Are Fish to Eat?" and said the elliptical nature of the question attracted great interest on the Internet in China, with leading bloggers and writers posting their own efforts to answer the question.

The article also mentioned the titles of compositions on Beijing and Shanghai examination papers as well as their backgrounds, and said that parts of compositions in 2010 seem to highlight sustainable development and environmental protection.

By People's Daily Online