Reflections on Chinese-Style Education in the Age of AI: The Case of Wang Hong’s Fields Medal Win

The emergence and development of AI cannot replace “Naturally gifted” mathematicians!

Back in July 2026, Wang Hong, a mathematical prodigy, accepted the Fields Medal in Philadelphia, becoming only the third woman in the world to receive this honour. On social media, people quickly labelled her as the “Peking University prodigy,” the “girl from Guangxi,” and “the 16-year-old who got into a top university,” among other titles.

But few noticed that this “beacon of women’s achievement” had once left mathematics for a time at École Polytechnique in Paris due to self-doubt and switched to studying architecture. She said, “For me, all of this developed gradually.”

She was admitted to Peking University’s School of Earth and Space Sciences at age 16, but transferred to the Department of Mathematics the following year. However, because she wasn’t a math competition student, she faced exclusion and a lack of recognition. While studying abroad in France, she spent some time studying architecture. At her most lost, she walked away from mathematics entirely to become an architecture apprentice, ultimately choosing to return to math only because “mathematics doesn’t require convincing others to invest in it.”

Fortunately, her advisor — MIT Professor Larry Guth — did not assign her a grand research project but instead let her experience scientific research by starting with “small problems.” It was then that she realized for the first time that, in the world of research, there were indeed people who would offer her emotional support when she felt helpless and stuck.

Within the Chinese educational evaluation system, Wang Hong’s path was fraught with “obstacles and detours” — a series of ups and downs marked by changing majors, studying architecture abroad, and hitting a plateau due to doubts about her aptitude for mathematics.

And this is the part that AI cannot replace.

Since 2022, large AI language models have been deployed on a massive scale thanks to OpenAI’s advancements and have amassed a large user base for ChatGPT. Generative AI can solve many test questions within seconds through data model analysis, and is not limited to just math problems. However, it will not spend years “testing, questioning, failing, and redefining” a century-old problem. The Three-Dimensional Hanggu Conjecture, proven by mathematician Wang Hong, relied not on problem-solving efficiency, but on choosing which problems to tackle and how to define the problems themselves.

When AI can generate standard answers, the moat protecting human education is no longer “solving problems faster,” but rather “daring to ask questions.” Her award is worth celebrating, but it is even more worthy of reflection. If she had not gone to France for her master’s degree and then to the United States for her Ph.D., if she had not gained true academic freedom, and if she had not “wasted” that half-year of leeway (gap time), she might not have achieved the “landmark or renowned accomplishments” she has today.

By contrast, one might subconsciously reflect on the fact that the Chinese education system — especially its rigid approach — is not suitable for all Chinese people, but may only apply to a small fraction of students who prefer to follow a set path, are unwilling to explore and innovate, lack the courage to delve deeply into subjects, and fear losing the approval of those around them. In traditional Chinese educational thinking, more than 95% of teachers and parents are accustomed to using “speed” and “accuracy” to evaluate and categorise students — for example, into top students, excellent students, average students, underperforming students, and those who won’t get into college.

From the last century to the present, these blatant biases and discriminatory practices have directly led to students with average or low academic performance being ostracised by their peers and neglected by teachers within the same classroom. This has had a long-term impact on students’ physical and mental health — particularly fostering a psychological fear of criticism and suppression — and has even driven some psychologically vulnerable students to seek suicide or suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

Finally, in the age of AI, education should not be a set path, but rather an open field.

Education System #Reflections on the Chinese Education System #Educational Philosophy #Fields Medal #Wang Hong #Mathematics