There has always been a saying on the Internet that the mathematics level of American junior high school students is equivalent to China’s primary school level, and the mathematics level of high school students is equivalent to China’s junior high school level. Regardless of whether this statement is correct or not, the “ignorance” and “anti-intellect” of the people at the bottom of the United States are quite famous. Take this epidemic as an example, how many marches did the American people hold in order not to wear masks? There are even such bizarre moves as “licking the toilet seat” and “coronavirus rallies”.

However, the level of scientific research in the United States is far ahead of the world. Take the Nobel Prize, for example, the number of American winners has been ranked first, accounting for more than 70% of the world’s total. There is only one Chinese national who has won the Nobel Prize in Natural Science, Tu Youyou in 2015. (Yang Zhenning became a Chinese citizen in 2017, and was an American when he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957).
Why is China’s basic education so good, but high-end scientific research is far behind the United States?
The root cause is the difference in educational models.
The educational model currently practiced in China was first created by Prussia in Europe and perfected by the Soviet Union in modern times. This education model is commonly known as “civilian education”, and its fundamental purpose is to rapidly improve the education level of the common people and put them into large-scale social production. Cramming education is the characteristic of this model, students can quickly master the basic knowledge and complete systematic learning.
But this model has a big drawback, that is, it only pursues grades and ignores the cultivation of students’ personality and interests. No matter how good a student’s grades are, they are just machines for exams. They are not satisfied with the acquisition of knowledge, nor are they interested in exploring unknown areas. Therefore, although China’s basic education is excellent, there is a shortage of high-end scientific talents.
The level of high-end scientific research has little to do with basic education.

Take India as an example, their illiteracy rate is high and basic education is very poor, but it does not affect their excellence in software engineering. Silicon Valley, the scientific research base in the United States, has a large number of senior engineers of Indian descent.
Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% sweat, but that 1% inspiration is far more important than 99% sweat. The same is true for high-end scientific research. The ancestors who have left a strong mark in the history of science are all geniuses that have not been encountered in a century. Their solid basic education only provides them with learning opportunities and helps them develop their talents, not the fundamental reason for them to become geniuses.
The value of China’s basic education is also reflected. It is not for cultivating geniuses, but for giving more people the opportunity to receive education and acquire knowledge. In terms of fulfilling its potential, American quality education is far superior to China’s exam-oriented education, so many Chinese people tout the American education system. As everyone knows, it is China’s exam-oriented education that allows you to enjoy a relatively fair level of education.
The poor in the United States cannot afford to go to private schools, and it is difficult for public schools to be admitted to good universities. Even if they do, they cannot afford the expensive tuition. And rich people hire tutors from childhood, go to the best private schools, have enough time and money to cultivate various interests and hobbies, and get admitted to a good university is also a matter of course.

Although China’s exam-oriented education has some shortcomings, it is the easiest way for poor families to realize their dreams. Compulsory education in China does not cost money, high schools have financial support, and tuition fees are very low. The tuition fees of Chinese universities are also famously low in the world. As long as your grades are outstanding, the national and local governments have various policies to help you realize your dream of studying.
Education, medical care, hygiene, etc. in the United States are very good, but they are not available to ordinary people. I have to say that it is an honor for us ordinary people to be born in China today. As long as you are willing to work hard, realizing the value of life is not a difficult thing.