Zhang Xinyang was born in an ordinary family in Panshan County, Panjin City, Liaoning Province, his father Zhang Huixiang was a grassroots worker in the street, and his mother Wu Huijuan was a geography teacher at a local school.
Zhang Huixiang was admitted to the first MBA class of the Business School of Chinese University in 1990, but he gave up this unfulfilled dream because he could not afford the high tuition fee of 15,000, which became the source of his high hopes for his son Zhang Qizhao.
Zhang Xinyang has shown extraordinary talent since he was a child. Under the guidance of his father, at the age of two and a half, he was already proficient in more than 1,000 Chinese characters. Zhang Huixiang and his wife were deeply pleased with their son's potential and decided to provide him with more educational resources.
They bought literacy cards, children's picture books and storybooks to nurture this little genius.
With the help of his father, 7-year-old Zhang Xinyang successfully entered a local primary school. However, his ability to learn far exceeds that of his peers. In just one month, Zhang Xingyang completely mastered the knowledge points of the first grade.
The school made an exception for him to skip a grade, and after that, the learning road was as fast as a rocket, he finished the second to fourth grades in five months, the fifth grade in two months, and completed and consolidated the knowledge of the sixth grade in one year, and in just two years, Zhang Xinyang completed the course of six years of primary school.
In 2000, Zhang Xinyang, who was just over 7 years old, entered junior high school. Despite his younger age than his classmates, his grades were among the best. In 2004, 9-year-old Zhang Xinyang directly skipped the senior class of Panjin Senior High School after the high school entrance examination.
In June 2005, 10-year-old Zhang Xinyang took the college entrance examination and was admitted to Tianjin Engineering Normal University with a total score of 505 points, becoming the "youngest college student in the country". This "prodigy" from the Northeast began his path of study, and his story has been widely circulated throughout the country.
Zhang's upbringing shows the amazing potential he has under the careful education of his parents. However, this excessively fast growth process also planted some problems for his later life.
In September 2005, at the age of 10, Zhang Xingyang officially stepped into the long-awaited university campus. However, he soon became captivated by the bustle of the big city, and at the same time felt the cruelty of reality in the city.
Zhang Xinyang was puzzled, the value of other classmates' shoes was even higher than his living expenses for half a year. In order to save a few cents, he also had to go to great lengths to plan bus routes.
This huge gap made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Once, Zhang Xinyang said inadvertently: "Beijing's housing prices are so expensive, it is definitely not easy to buy a house." Who knew that this unintentional remark attracted the ridicule of classmates: "If you can't afford it, don't buy it, go back to your hometown and stay in the nest." "
These words deeply stung 11-year-old Zhang Xinyang and made him full of grievances, and from this moment on, he first came up with the idea of buying a house in Beijing.
Zhang Xinyang is faced with a huge gap between reality and his heart, and this frustration prompts him to study harder. In 2008, at the age of 13, he was successfully admitted to the master's degree of Beijing University of Technology and became the "youngest master's student in the country".
However, the advent of independent living also brought new challenges to him.
After Zhang Xingyang left the supervision of his parents, he began to pursue the freedom he longed for. He is addicted to gaming, is keen to post online, and participates in the school's billiards and badminton associations.
However, this freedom also caused him to neglect to study for the final exams, and he actually failed several subjects.
After learning the news, Zhang Huixiang immediately hurried over, and the father and son broke out into the most fierce dispute ever. That night, an angry Zhang Huixiang walked more than 50 kilometers from Beijing University of Technology to Langfang, Hebei Province, and stayed awake all night.
The next morning, when Zhang Xinyang saw his father, he was shocked to find that his father seemed to have aged a lot overnight, his hair was all white, and his back had become bent. Seeing this scene, Zhang Xinyang's heart was full of deep remorse and self-blame.
This experience made Zhang Xinyang take an important turning point in his growth path, and made him understand that he must work hard for his future and the expectations of his parents. Therefore, Zhang Xinyang began to re-examine his learning attitude and lifestyle.
However, this experience made Zhang even more eager to emphasize his own worth. The idea of buying a house grew stronger in his mind and became an important symbol of his pursuit of success. This strong will have a profound impact on his future life path.
In the summer of 2011, 16-year-old Zhang Xinyang was admitted to Beihang University as the youngest doctoral student in China, and his research direction was basic mathematics. On September 1, he was 1.78 meters tall when he entered the campus, and his childishness gradually decreased, but it still couldn't hide his youthful vitality.
Behind this seemingly glorious achievement, there is a huge pressure and challenge.
Economic pressure and extreme desire for social status led Zhang Xinyang to the extreme, and published controversial remarks on social platforms that "money does not necessarily mean quality, but no money must be quality", which sparked widespread public criticism.
The aura of the former "prodigy" gradually faded, and Zhang Xinyang deeply felt the pressure of public opinion for the first time.
Academic difficulties also followed. Zhang Xinyang encountered unprecedented challenges during the doctoral stage due to the fact that the basic knowledge was not solid due to the rapid learning in the early stage. He insisted on not taking notes in class, believing that knowledge only counts if it is memorized in his head.
However, in the face of complex mathematical formulas, this method seems to be inadequate, and under his lofty and arrogant appearance, in fact, there is an inferiority complex.
The hardships of life are even worse. Although other classmates in their 20s or even 30s were able to find jobs to subsidize their lives, Zhang Xingyang was still the thrifty teenager. A bucket of water downstairs costs 5 cents, and he can drink it for two days; The finished water bottles are neatly stacked on the wall, waiting for the uncle who collects the waste to come.
This circumstance made him even more eager to become a "human being".
During these difficult years, what supported Zhang Xingyang was a secret love. He fell in love with a girl who was 6 years older than him when he was 13 years old. This is a local girl with a gentle personality and excellent learning, which makes him feel excited.
However, Zhang Xinyang, who has low self-esteem, feels uncertain about his abilities and future, and does not dare to confess to her, so he can only bury this feeling deep in his heart, he fantasizes that one day he will have a house, household registration and achievements in Beijing, so he will confess to her that he put together the photos of the two and store them in MP4, and take them out at every moment when he wants to give up, and cheer himself up.
However, Zhang's crush did not reduce his practical pressure, on the contrary, the financial pressure and the pressure of aspiring to social status drove him to find a balance between his studies and reality.
Due to the lack of basic knowledge, he struggled to delve into the study.
During this period, Zhang Xinyang endured great psychological suffering, academic challenges and huge pressure of social questioning and criticism, which made him a little confused and vulnerable for a while. However, it was these difficulties and challenges that made him start to rethink his life path, and also laid the groundwork for his future growth and transformation.
Zhang Xinyang's experience has aroused extensive discussion and reflection on "prodigy education" in society. His learning speed is amazing, and at the same time thought-provoking. I went to university at the age of 10 and went to doctoral school at the age of 16, but this pace of study brought a lot of problems.
Some people are beginning to wonder if the rapid pace of learning will lead to a lack of basic knowledge, which will affect long-term development. The difficulties encountered by Zhang Xinyang during his doctoral studies seem to confirm this.
Although he is young and highly educated, he is unable to cope with complex mathematical formulas, which makes people wonder: can an accelerated education really allow children to gain a solid knowledge base?
Some people are concerned that if children are exposed to esoteric knowledge too early, it may have a negative impact on their mental health and social skills. For example, Zhang's inadaptability to life in college, as well as some of his controversial remarks on social platforms, seem to indicate that he has some problems with social adaptation.
This has led to a requisition: how can we ensure the all-round development of our children while pursuing academic achievement?
Zhang Xinyang is also constantly reflecting. He began to realize that the label of "prodigy" brought him a lot of pressure and constraints, especially the controversial remarks on social platforms, which were both a reflection of his dissatisfaction with social reality and his inner anxiety and uneasiness.
He began to think: what is he studying for? Is it to meet the expectations of others, or to realize one's own value?
These questions are not only related to Zhang Xinyang personally, but also related to the entire education system and social values. It has led to people's thinking about how to take into account the all-round development of children while pursuing excellence; how to guide the "prodigies" to better adapt to society; and how to strike a balance between academic achievement and personal well-being.
Zhang's story is like a mirror, reflecting many of the issues of today's education and social values. While praising geniuses, we should pay more attention to their growth and life.
Behind the brilliant achievement of Zhang Xinyang becoming the youngest doctoral student in the country is a journey full of challenges and grinding. His PhD journey was arduous and far longer than one might think.
Due to the lack of basic knowledge, Zhang Xinyang encountered unprecedented difficulties in learning. His learning strategy, which relies only on brain memory and does not take notes, is weak in dealing with complex mathematical theories.
In addition, the huge psychological pressure also made him depressed for a while, and even had suicidal thoughts.
However, Zhang Xingyang did not give up because of this. With his love for his studies and his vision for the future, he overcame difficulties step by step. Those composite photos with his crush not only became his motivation to persevere, but also gave him strength and courage when he encountered setbacks.
In the end, it took Zhang Xinyang 8 years to complete his doctoral studies, which far exceeded people's expectations of a "prodigy" and changed many people's inherent views on him. This experience made Zhang Xinyang realize that real growth does not lie in speed or slowness, but in whether it can continue to improve.
The once conceited "prodigy" has become mature and stable in the long road of study. He began to understand that the true meaning of learning is not speed, but depth and breadth. This experience made him rethink and plan his life.
Although Zhang took longer than ordinary people, he still successfully completed his doctoral studies. This experience not only earned him a Ph.D., but more importantly, it shaped a more well-rounded and mature Zhang.
In 2019, after eight years of long-term doctoral study, 26-year-old Zhang Xinyang finally completed his studies. However, his choice came as a surprise to many. The former "prodigy" did not choose to stay in Beijing or other bustling big cities, but chose to come to Guyuan City, Ningxia, to become an ordinary lecturer at Ningxia Normal University.
This decision came as a great surprise to many. Zhang Xinyang, who used to be extremely eager to buy a house in Beijing and pursue the status of "a superior person", has now chosen a small city away from the hustle and bustle of big cities and started an ordinary and down-to-earth new life.
Today's Zhang Xinyang has stepped out of the aura and controversy of the past and started a new life journey. From his podium, he imparts to his students with a wealth of knowledge and insights he has accumulated over the years.
His unique experience has also become a vivid teaching material for students, showing them that the true meaning of learning is not about speed, but about depth and breadth.
For Zhang, this decision was made after careful consideration, and the outside world may think that it is a step backwards or regrets, but for him, it is precisely the strength to find inner peace and growth.
The former "prodigy" Zhang Xinyang finally chose to return to the ordinary, but in this ordinary, he found his own value and the meaning of life. This new chapter may be the beginning of Zhang's real growth and maturity.