We had a get-together with our fellow townsfolk in the evening, and that’s when I found out that the top science student from my hometown in 2005 (a Tsinghua graduate) is now the vice principal at one of Shanghai’s four most outstanding high schools, plus the district math subject leader. He also wrote math supplementary materials 😂.

And then there’s the top science student in our class year (2008) for the county (also a Tsinghua graduate)—apparently he was already working on robots and AI very early on, and he successfully started a business (the company was acquired by a big player), achieving financial freedom.

Plus a young lawyer, Min Da, who earns more than ten million in annual revenue… (also a Tsinghua graduate, but not a fellow townsman).

It all felt a bit surreal, with admiration: real top students really are top students—when are they ever not? They’re so strong it’s hard to believe they’re from the same universe… And also… Tsinghua really is a place that produces outstanding people.