June 24 marked a nerve-wracking day for millions of Chinese families as scores for the gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam, were released. But one family’s unexpected reaction to their daughter’s score ignited widespread debate.
Douyin user “Sister Lan” of Zhoukou, Henan Province, posted several videos on June 25 showing her family celebrating her 19-year-old daughter’s score: 288 out of 750. The score is far below Henan’s undergraduate admissions threshold of 471. But for this family, it was a moment of joy. According to the mother, this was the highest score her daughter had ever achieved.
In one video that saw over one million likes, Sister Lan tells her daughter: “Over the past 15 years, I’ve always been proud of your scores, whether high or low. What makes me truly happy is having a healthy and joyful child.” The video was later shared by Staterun People’s Daily on its official Douyin account, quoting the mother’s words.
Many netizens praised the family for their refreshing perspective, arguing that the mother’s response challenged the traditional exam-driven mindset and reinforced the idea that academic scores do not define a person’s worth. Others, however, were critical. They argued that a score that low celebrated a lack of effort and disrespected students who had worked tirelessly. Some suggested the videos were staged for attention, as Sister Lan is already an influencer with over 183,000 followers on Douyin.
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