{
  "id": 4113074,
  "title": "Teen gets into one of world's top 15 universities while selling mushrooms at market stall",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/teen-gets-into-one-of-worlds-top-15-universities-while-selling",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-29T04:59:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress International",
    "slug": "vnexpress-international",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/education/teen-gets-into-one-of-world-s-top-15-universities-while-selling-mushrooms-at-market-stall-5114772.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An 18-year-old from Ludian County in Yunnan Province has become the first locally schooled student in nearly four decades to secure admission to Peking University, one of the world's top 15 universities. The student, identified as Luo, scored an impressive 674 on this year's gaokao, China's national college entrance exam. The remarkable achievement was reported by Hunan Daily's Xinhunan outlet.\n\nExpressing her joy, Luo thanked her parents for their perseverance and fulfillment of her lifelong dream. In a video shared by Tencent News after receiving the admission letter on August 5, she emphasized her greatest wish for the safety and well-being of her family. Luo's story has since gained significant traction on Chinese social media platforms.\n\nAccording to China.com, Luo had been selling foraged wild mushrooms at a family stall to support the household income during the weeks between the exam and her admission result. Wild mushroom foraging is a common practice during the summer rains in Yunnan, with stalls selling the day's harvest serving as seasonal fixtures across the province's mountainous counties.\n\nPeking University, ranked 13th worldwide in the latest QS World University Rankings and the highest among mainland Chinese institutions in the Times Higher Education table, is renowned for its academic excellence. Ludian, situated in the Wumeng mountains, was previously classified as a national-level poverty county. In July, Tianjin charity Yijia Gongyi reported that its volunteers had been supporting Luo and her two sisters since March 2018, when she was just 10 years old and in the fourth grade. The charity noted that Luo is the only student among over 5,000 beneficiaries it has funded to achieve admission to either Peking University or Tsinghua University.",
  "summary": "Luo Qi was working her family's wild mushroom stall at a village market in southwestern China when a postal courier walked over and handed her an admission letter from Peking University.",
  "key_points": [
    "Luo, 18, first locally schooled student in 40 years to enter Peking University",
    "Scored 674 on gaokao, China's national college entrance exam",
    "Sold wild mushrooms to support family income during exam period"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}