{
  "id": 260339,
  "title": "Backlash as China’s Tsinghua graduate, 38, wins medical school spot at Peking University",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/backlash-as-chinas-tsinghua-graduate-38-wins-medical-school-spot-at",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-07T10:29:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3363330/backlash-chinas-tsinghua-graduate-38-wins-medical-school-spot-peking-university"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 38-year-old Chinese man, Li Long, has made headlines after gaining admission to Peking University's Health Science Centre, a top medical school, through his impressive performance in the national university entrance exam. This 18-year-old graduate of Tsinghua University, known for its rigorous gaokao exam, is now pursuing a PhD in medicine at Peking University. Tsinghua and Peking Universities are among China's most prestigious institutions, admitting students based on their performance in the gaokao, a nationwide test taken by over 200,000 candidates in Heilongjiang province alone. Despite being middle-aged and having already earned a bachelor's degree, Li's passion for medicine, sparked in childhood, led him to take the gaokao in 2024, 2025, and 2026. His most recent score was high enough to secure his place among the top 300 students in Heilongjiang. Li, who has expressed that the gaokao is a fair competition, is determined to contribute to the medical field. His journey from a part-time tutor to a family man underscores his resilience and dedication to his childhood aspiration.",
  "summary": "A 38-year-old man in China, who was admitted to the prestigious Tsinghua University 18 years ago, recently sat for the national university entrance exam and achieved a remarkable score, allowing him to realise his dream of studying medicine at Peking University. Tsinghua and Peking Universities are two of the most elite institutions in mainland China, admitting students with the highest scores…",
  "key_points": [
    "38-year-old Li Long wins Peking University medical spot",
    "Tsinghua graduate pursues PhD in medicine",
    "Gaokao competition fuels Li's medical aspiration"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China ‘delivery rider poet’ known for writing verses on scrap paper wins elite literature prize",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/china-delivery-rider-poet-known-for-writing-verses-on-scrap-paper",
        "published": "2026-08-07T06:27:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}