In my present situation at a senior high school I have about 30 students. Of these about 6 are extraordinarily studious, another 6 are the exact opposite and rarely come to class or do any work if they do, and the remainder are pretty much just your normal pleasant happy-to-do-enough-to-get-by type kids. The ratios involved here are not much different to those that I have encountered in other positions at high schools and universities in China -in other places I have dealt with absurd numbers of students.

I am fairly sure that I have more experience in China than you and so am confident that my sample is more representative of the actual situation. That is not to say I don't respect your opinion and I am not accusing you of lying. The idea that the Chinese students study harder than those of any other nationality stems from those idiosyncratic and highly parochial morality tales that the society here seems so wont to indulge itself in. Quaint indeed these tales might be, but they have no basis in reality.

I might add that any consideration of the amount of time spent at class or at school each day has absolutely no bearing upon the argument as to who is the most studious.

The more studious and even some of the less studious students here study harder than I ever did way back in my youth, but then again so did most of the rest of the class I was in (and my results at that time reflected my lack of effort i might add).

I spent some time in one of our countries' senior high schools earlier this year, and the average level of "studiousness" was higher than anything I have encountered here.

glad to hear you've been getting out and about!

Paul, you really must read the travel brochures more carefully old son. China is a "developing" country. It is within living memory that teachers in "developed" countries would cane the hands of left-handed students to encourage them to conform to an "a droite" norm, and certainly your other protestations with regard to the present state of pedagogy in China were the norm in "western" countries even more recently than that. Of course 10 weeks shy of a part-time year would not normally qualify anyone as an expert on anything; we can only be humbled by the supernatural linguistic powers that have allowed you such perspicacious insights into the conditions here in such a contracted time, and look forward to more of the same from whichever country and/or occupation next reaps the harvest of your wisdom. Let's hope the next 10 weeks flies by for you Paul.

Mr Arro, I admire both your ability to analyse so exactly such a complex problem as you were faced with in a mere 9 days, and your courage in making such an important decision given that you were, - it seems - still not quite sure whether your conclusions were correct or not.Thank goodness for that omniscient and oft-published scribe Mr Hodge for providing scientific support to your instinctive yet financially exavagant bevahiour. I trust this week's soup is to your tastes sir?

Methinks it wasn't just Mike D's classes that got the "preemptory" treatment whatever that means. The Chinese can be so marvelously subtle! Bye!

Of course cheating, over-priced (yet recommended) textbooks and (usually sexual) favours for the lecturers are unheard of where you come from DoS...
and oh god spare us the Chinese students study harder clap-trap...or do you just believe everything your girlfriend tells you? perhaps you need to get out more.