From China to Cambridge and Cornell: The ‘PhD village’ that produced 33 doctorates
So far, 33 villagers have earned doctoral degrees from leading institutions including Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, Cambridge University, and Cornell University.
So far, 33 villagers have earned doctoral degrees from leading institutions including Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, Cambridge University, and Cornell University. (Representational image) A small village in China has stunned the world by producing 33 PhD holders from top universities at home and abroad, earning it the nickname “PhD village,” according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Pengdao Village in Nanan City, Fujian province, went viral at the end of this month after a video showed a grand scholarship ceremony at the local ancestral clan hall. The event, only the second of its kind, was organised by the Guo Family Education Fund, as most villagers share the Guo surname.
This year’s awardees included one student admitted to Tsinghua University as a PhD candidate, 15 beginning their master’s programmes, and 46 undergraduates preparing to enter university. During the ceremony, the students wore red sashes inscribed with wu zu zhi guang—“the glory of our ancestral clan”—and bowed before ancestral memorial tablets.
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