This entire episode is too much over-simplification. I believe it would be incomparably more interesting if Mr. Jiang had talked about the latest pedagogical theories (from the books he recommends) and how they apply to education in China, rather than enumerating every single cliche of the Chinese educational system - in gross generalization as well as in his own case.

In this kind of discussion, I always cite myself as a counterexample to those cliches: As a native Chinese, I went to elementary and middle school in China before migrating to western Europe with my parents. I was a very good student (regarding my grade and achievements in academic competitions) in China, and I had practically no problem settling into the Western school system (or Western society in general).

My Chinese and my European teachers had the same love-hate relationship with me: They loved me for my smarts, my curiosity and my independence, and they hated me for my utter lack of discipline that was constantly causing damage both to myself and to the group. However, even though they all tried, with various intensity, to tame me, none of them ever tried to dull or silence me. In fact, my Chinese teacher were more eager than my European ones to promote my curiosity and my independent thinking, in explicit and implicit ways, and quite a remarkable number of them were willing to look the other way regarding the many disciplinary infractions of mine - at least the minor ones.

My own interpretation is that, contrary to common believe, my Chinese teachers were entirely willing and able to recognize the value of my independent thinking. If more students were like me, they would love to see it, and they would find a way to deal with it (in positive terms).

So, that leaves the questions: Why aren't more Chinese children like me? I believe the main culprit isn't the educational system (AKA schools), but the educational culture (AKA home). Yes, I'm a big believer in the thesis that education mostly happens at home, even if the child spends much more time in school. School teaches knowledge and methodology (if you have good teachers), but it's the parents (and the extended family) that teaches awareness, views and values.

I had the luck to be born in a family where I was taught just that, in an extraordinary fashion. It's not that my parents were perfect - no, there was plenty of flaws in their parenthood, and I have suffered my own fair share of trauma as a result of that. But one thing they never did is to say to me: "Because I say so, and that's that!" Instead, they always argued with me on the merits of the subject, even though it was often a nerve wrecking exercise with me (and it still is, evidently).

That's one of the two things I'm most grateful for (and proud) of my family (the other being the way they instilled proper moral compass in me through leading by example). Of course I know how rarely this happens, but the thing is, it shouldn't be. Being intellectually patient with your child is not easy to do, but is it really that much harder than everything else you do for your child? Especially the things Chinese parents do for their children?

To come back to the original topic of this episode: No, I don't think the Chinese education (AKA school) system is destined to produce subservient automatons. It's the societal norm in general and the parents in particular that does that. BTW, the vast majority of the upper-middle class parents that manage to send their kids abroad or migrate entirely are no less conformist that the rest of the Chinese society, which explains why their kids won't miraculous do better in Western schools. But every parent has the power, in their own hands, to resist that societal norm (at least in regard to their children) and provide their children with a good developmental environment. And when they do so, the Chinese schools won't be as much an impediment as people are tragically resigned to believe.

Sadly, you guys talked about schools the entire time and barely mentioned home...