Late June in China is the time of year when the national college entrance examination results are announced and the whole country is whipped into a frenzy. Because of the competition and pressure on students for top university openings, those who score the highest marks, dubbed zhuangyuan, are publicly feted and lauded countrywide as national super heroes. Every province, city and county has two top scholars-one in the field of arts and the other in the sciences.

Zhuangyuan means a whole new world for students and their families. It's a badge of honor for the hard work put in and makes ideal material for countless media stories, which cover everything from a zhuangyuan's school life, study methods to social life. The exposure is seen as helpful to younger students, who use the experiences and results of these whiz kids as inspiration for the time when they are faced with the same mountain to climb.

For some people, the media's reports on zhuangyuans reflect Chinese society's respect for talent and emphasis on knowledge. They believe, the successful experiences of these gifted individuals will set an example for the next generation.

However, the media hype has gone too far according to critics. These zhuangyuans are gaining so much exposure they are now being used as marketable business opportunities and taken advantage of. Media outlets flood their pages and airwaves with these stories to sell more copies and gain a wider audience, high schools proudly promote these ex-pupils to attract more new students and universities want to show their superior status by recruiting these laureates. It's a money making circle.

In reality, many examples have shown that zhuangyuans are just students who are more adaptable to the testing system of examination-oriented education than their peers. With the country now making valiant efforts to push forward quality-oriented education, the excessive publicity of zhuangyuans is seen as improper to many. Realists say that only when China's education stops focusing on examinations, can the craze for zhuangyuans show any signs of subsiding.

Public adulation misleading

Zhou Ningguang (www.cppcc.people. com.cn): For years zhuangyuans have been packaged and marketed to show off the achievements of local education. While this does encourage some students and parents, many more are left discouraged, as only a small fraction of students can be top scholars.

Excessive publicity of zhuangyuans puts psychological pressure on most of the students, leading to an antagonistic outlook and even antipathy toward schoolwork. This could exert a negative impact on their future life. At the same time, immense pressure is placed on zhuangyuans because of the high expectations from their families and society, before they even enter universities. This heavy pressure could quite possibly affect their lives in the new college environment.

Superficially, all the publicity is more about schools showing off their high education standards and local governments showing the great efforts they are making to improve local education. Meanwhile, some business people make use of zhuangyuans to advertise their products in exchange for financial support. This is what we don't want to see.

Yan Shuangjian (Ningxia Daily): The national college entrance examination is only one of the many ways to select talent. In most cases, students become zhuangyuans by chance. Even if he or she gets first place in the national examination, this does not mean that they will always act better than others in future studies, work or life. Not all zhuangyuans will make remarkable achievements in their career. On the contrary, there are also many examples of people who have never entered universities, yet still achieving a lot. Therefore, a successful career or even a successful life depends on the accumulation of knowledge and consistent efforts, not only the success in a certain examination. Getting good college entrance exam results is just one of the steps along the life's road.

Why are the media and schools so enthusiastic about these zhuangyuans? In my opinion, they are actually publicizing schools that produce national college entrance examination laureates. This publicity will enhance the schools' reputation and then helps to attract new entrants. As for the media, when they tell stories about zhuangyuans, they attract more readers and advertisers. However, an overemphasis on zhuangyuans will encourage other students to study and universities to only focus on high exam scores, instead of doing more to improve their education quality, as required by the government.

Liu Xiang (www.cedu.cn): Nowadays, to publicize these top scholars needs much packaging. In the process, false information is added. This practice goes against the principles that have guided the zhuangyuans for so many years through school. First, this may well place zhuangyuans in an environment full of lies and deceit when they enter society. As a result, zhuangyuans will mistrust the social valuation system, which may be harmful to their growth.

Second, the publicity of zhuangyuans by businesses is connected to financial interests. The allure of money could find zhuangyuans developing an exaggerated concept of the power of money, something that could be counterproductive to their student and career prospects.

Third, to be a zhuangyuan in the national college entrance examination does not mean the end of one's school life. It is actually only a new beginning for them to enter the world of science and technology. Hard work is more important in the years ahead than the self-conceit pumped into their heads by the media.

Liu Feifei (Yangzhou Evening News): What does the word zhuangyuan mean? It means that the students are knowledgeable and have a stable state of mind during the national college entrance examination. That's all. The result of one examination does not necessarily reflect the true learning capability of a student. Besides, for one to grow up into a real top talent, not only should he or she have enough knowledge, but also have strong capability in many other areas. However, the national college entrance examination is just an assessment of a student's understanding of a subject. Moreover, the success in the national college entrance examination does not mean success in all future endeavors.

The development of a country does not only rely on a few elites, and those who cannot pass the college entrance examination can still contribute to society.

Regaining respect for knowledge

Peng Tianming (Information Times): Education departments have a duty to announce the results of national college entrance examination to the public, so why can't they announce the names of top students? At the same time, even without the official announcement, these elite scholars are the source of much attention from fellow students and parents.