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15h ago

China's 'PhD Village' Welcomes New PhD Candidate as Viral Ceremony Draws Attention

A clan-run education fund pairs modest scholarships with ancestral-hall rituals to turn schooling into local prestige.

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During the ceremony, the successful graduates, adorned in red sashes that read “The glory of our ancestral clan,” paid their respects by bowing before the memorial tablets of their ancestors. Photo: Jimu
A remote village in China celebrated its academic tradition as it honoured another doctorate holder, raising its count to 33 PhDs from leading institutions.

Overview

  • A late-August video of a grand scholarship event at the ancestral hall in Pengdao Village, Nanan, Fujian, drew national attention.
  • The village now counts 33 PhD holders from institutions including Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong, Cambridge, and Cornell.
  • At the fund’s second ceremony, awards recognized one new PhD admit to Tsinghua, 15 master’s entrants, and 46 undergraduates starting in September.
  • The Guo Family Education Fund distributed 217,000 yuan in scholarships this year, with the largest single award at 8,000 yuan.
  • Students wore red sashes reading “the glory of our ancestral clan” and offered incense before ancestor tablets as the fund’s director encouraged diligence and service to their hometown.