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Comment by beedogs | Hacker News Reader

This isn't just a problem with Chinese students in China. A large for-pay cheating operation which catered exclusively to Chinese students was just uncovered in New Zealand, too.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8662224/Chinese-ch...

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These are completely different issues (which you are simply conflating by race).

The exam mentioned in the article is THE exam. If you fail, that's it for you. You can't re-sit and you can't attend a reputable university. Your choices are the equivalent of technical colleges (few which have any reputation), working in low skill jobs, or (if you have A LOT of money) studying abroad.

Given the circumstances, I think cheating is the sensible thing to do, given their are cheaters, by not cheating yourself you put yourself at a disadvantage.

The term "Chinese" doesn't describe a race; it is descriptive of a nationality. And I don't see how the two issues aren't related at least at some basic level. Cheating at this scale seems to be a cultural phenomenon moreso than a racial one.

Well sure, technically, blacks aren't a race either, nor are whites or indians... technically we are All "human" but these semantics don't progress the discussion.

I agree that right now, given China's recent history and current state of affairs their is widespread corruption and exploitation. If that qualifies as "cultural phenomenon" then I agree, but I don't agree it was always there, and think it is more to do with the mao/deng transition and the massive injection of wealth into china since.

You can retake exams in China, but they are offered only once a year.

I did not know that. So it isn't completely dire, but you'll lose a year.

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