Hannah Gets Ready for First Grade

            There is an outstanding, English-language private school in the suburbs of Nanjing that holds a test every year for incoming first-graders. If you get an A, you get a full scholarship to the school. If you get a B, you pay upwards of 80,000 yuan per year for your education. If you get a C, you get rejected from admission. My neighbor’s (Big Brother Guo and Big Sister Chongyang) 5-year old daughter, Hannah, is in kindergarten now and will sit for the test in May. They are preparing Hannah everyday for the test, since she needs to get a full scholarship to be able to attend. They've enlisted me to help her with the English section, and in exchange I get fed delicious food, tutoring in the Nanjing dialect, and enthusiastic participation in my research. While I was brushing my teeth this morning, it occurred to me that when Hannah grows up, she is going to look back on her childhood and think, "I've been preparing for tests for as long as I can remember..." 

Hannah and me outside my house

If Hannah doesn’t get into this private school, she’ll have to attend a public school. Since the public schools around Old Nanjing are not highly ranked in the city, her parents want her to go to a better school and therefore must first, pull some guanxi (find some connections) that can get her into the school, and second, pay huge amounts of money, both to the city government and to the school. They have been treating people at expensive hotel banquets, hoping that someone will be able to help them out. Getting Hannah into a good elementary school is key for her to be able to pass the high school entrance exam in 6 years, which is then imperative for her passing the college entrance exam, which is then imperative for her to get a job, and thus live a happy and fulfilling life. 

Big Brother says, “There’s nothing we can do about it. The population in China is just too large, you have to use your connections to get ahead. You asked me if I was feeling okay earlier? I looked tired and worn down? Well the reason is because we can’t find a person to help us get Hannah into a good school for next year. This family has a huge burden weighing on our hearts all day and all night. The pressure to get Hannah into a good elementary school is huge. Her entire future, her entire destiny depends on this.”