美知乎提问：为什么中国在培养顶尖工程师方面如此成功，领导决策在其中发挥了什么作用？
Why is China so successful in producing top engineers, and what role did leadership decisions play in this achievement?
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美知乎讨论中国在培养顶尖工程师方面如此成功的原因...
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Highly value education.
In my view, China lags in many areas, but education is quite impressive.
First, there’s universal emphasis—from the government to grassroots to families. This is likely an East Asian tradition; as far as I know, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore also prioritize education intensely.
Over forty years ago, my hometown was extremely poor and backward, but parents, even if struggling, would usually support their kids’ schooling.
There were exceptions. I had a classmate who, unable to afford textbooks due to family poverty, chose suicide—a rare tragedy. These days, that’s unimaginable.
Take my family: though poor, I was never denied money for workbooks or study materials.
高度重视教育。
在我看来，中国在很多方面都落后，但教育却令人印象深刻。
首先，从政府到基层再到家庭，普遍重视教育。这很可能是东亚的传统；据我所知，日本、韩国和新加坡也非常重视教育。
四十多年前，我的家乡极其贫穷落后，但即使生活拮据，家长们通常也会支持孩子上学。
也有例外。我有个同学因为家庭贫困买不起课本而选择了自杀——这可是个罕见的悲剧。如今，这简直难以想象。
就拿我的家庭来说吧：虽然家境贫困，但我从未被拒绝过被给予买作业本或学习资料的钱。
So, a 400-page workbook costing less than 2 yuan (0.28$ 200 fen) was a good value.
Later, reading Zweig’s Chess Story, I laughed at Dr. B’s imagined books—thin paper, tiny font, densely packed text. It reminded me of my workbook sextion criteria.
This was the societal ethos.
In the 1990s, during China’s painful economic transition, public safety was poor. I recall a darkly humorous slogan: “Robbing police cars is illegal and criminal!”
One year, traveling 200 km home, I was extorted four times. (By the way, today’s China is likely one of the safest countries; such incidents haven’t been heard of in years.)
Even petty criminals extorting money respected students. I remember flashing my student ID, and one guy exclaimed, “Bro! this is a student from XX University! let the gentleman go!”
我买练习册的原则是：如果页数（1张=2页）超过以“分”（1元的1/100）计的价格数字，就算划算了。
所以，一本400页的练习册，不到2元（0.28美元=200分）就很划算了。
后来，读茨威格的《象棋的故事》，我被B博士想象中的练习册逗笑了——纸张薄，字体小，内容密密麻麻。这让我想起了我当时选择练习册的标准。
这就是当时的社会风气。
20世纪90年代，中国正处于痛苦的经济转型时期，社会治安状况很差。我还记得一句黑色幽默的口号：“抢警车违法犯罪！”
有一年，我回家的路有200公里，一路上却被敲诈了四次。 （顺便说一句，如今的中国可能是最安全的国家之一了，这类事件已经好多年没听说过了。）
就连敲诈勒索钱财的流氓也尊重学生。我记得当时我亮出了学生证，一个家伙惊呼：“兄弟！这是XX大学的学生！放人！”
This has deep historical roots.
Even during the warlord chaos of the Republic era, when people struggled to survive, a warlord issued an order: “In my territory, if a county government building is better than the local school, the county head will be shot on the spot!”
（The person in the photo is the warlord who placed great importance on education. His family included 3 army commanders, 8 brigade commanders, and 15 regiment commanders.）
(Twenty years ago, visiting my wife’s hometown, I noticed the shabbiest building was the county government office, while the newest, best one was the school. I joked, “It’s not the Republic anymore; the county head doesn’t need to be so embarrassed.”)
The government also places great importance on education. Slogans like these can be seen everywhere: “It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to nurture people” and “No hardship should befall our children; no poverty should hinder education.”
在国家层面，这一点更加明显。
这有着深厚的历史渊源。
即使在民国军阀混战、民不聊生的年代，军阀也曾下令：“在我地盘上，如果县衙盖得比学校好，县长就会被当场枪毙！”
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
（照片中的人就是那位非常重视教育的军阀，他麾下有3个军长、8个旅长、15个团长。）
（20年前回老婆老家，发现最破旧的是县政府大楼，最新最好的是学校。我开玩笑说：“现在不是民国了，县长不用这么丢脸了。”）
政府也非常重视教育。 “十年树木，百年树人”、“再苦不能苦孩子，再穷不能穷教育”等口号随处可见。
Still, it’s relatively fair.
About 20 years ago, a friend teaching at Beijing’s top high school, along with colleagues, would spend vacations supporting education in poor areas. Some also donated to local students.
Another acquaintance, a graduate of Shanghai’s best university, volunteered to teach in the poorest regions. Tragically, he died falling off a cliff while buying supplies in the county town. Sigh,Rest in peace.
The mountain, a hundred and fifty paces away, flickers in and out of sight,
and finally vanishes, its blackened green fading away.
The river, six kilometers off, flings its bright waves of sound toward us.
The world is only three hundred meters high and thirty steps wide,
squeezed from all sides by the rain.
Two brown mules, glistening all over, return from beyond the world in a daze.
然而，中国的教育资源分配不均。北京、上海等大城市的教育条件远比山区或贫困地区优越的多。
不过，相对来说还算公平。
大约20年前，一位在北京顶尖高中任教的朋友，会和同事们利用假期去贫困地区支教，有些人还为当地学生捐款。
另一位朋友，毕业于上海最好的大学，志愿去最贫困的地区支教。不幸的是，他在去县城采购物资时坠崖身亡。唉，安息吧。
“一百五十步外的山峰忽隐忽现，
最终消失不见，墨绿色渐渐消逝。
六公里外的河流，向我们投来清脆的波涛。
世界只有三百米高，三十步宽，
被雨水从四面八方挤压着。
两头棕色的骡子，浑身闪闪发光，恍如从世外归来。”
Those were times of scarcity. Today, conditions are much better.
If you want to study, it’s essentially free to some extent.
Especially if you’re a good student.
In some poor areas, where parents prefer kids to do chores instead of studying, the government offers free meals or even money to convince parents to let kids attend school.
For example, if you’re admitted to a top school like Tsinghua but penniless, write to the school, and a counselor will come with a train ticket to pick you up.
Or crowdfund online, and kind people will help.
I admit China’s exams are brutal, but they’re generally fair.
这是他写的一首诗。我不太懂诗，但我觉得这首诗写得很现实，描述了他如何用骡子沿着悬崖小道驮着孩子们需要的书。“三百米高”是指悬崖小道的高度，“三十步宽”是指每一段蜿蜒小道的长度吗？
那是一个物资匮乏的时代。如今，情况要好得多。
如果你想学习，在某种程度上基本上是免费的。
尤其是如果你是个好学生。
在一些贫困地区，家长更希望孩子在家做家务而不是去学校学习，因此政府会提供免费餐食，甚至提供补助来说服家长让孩子上学。
例如，如果你被清华这样的名校录取，但身无分文，可以给学校写信，辅导员会带着火车票来接你。
或者在网上众筹，好心人会伸出援手。
我承认中国的考试很残酷，但总体来说还算公平。
When I was in school, everyone knew the saying: “Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll fear nothing anywhere.”
The brightest youths mostly pursued STEM; studying humanities was often a fallback, admitting you couldn’t handle tougher competition.
Even today, “humanities student” carries a slight derogatory connotation.
This is natural. China’s painful history from 1840 to 1949 prompted national reflection: Where did we fall short compared to foreigners?
A key factor: we didn’t understand science—physics, engineering, how to build guns or warships.
This drove China’s obsession with STEM to a fanatical degree. A national psyche fueled by anger: “You bullied us because you had Maxim guns and warships. Fine, we’ll build ten times more, better military machines…”
Obviously, poets or lawyers contribute little to building guns or warships. STEM is the critical factor, largely fueling China’s STEM mania.
此外，中国非常重视STEM学科。
我上学的时候，大家都知道这样一句话：“学好数理化，走遍天下都不怕。”
最聪明的年轻人大多选择STEM专业；学习人文学科往往是退而求其次的选择，这是承认自己无法应对更激烈的竞争。
即使在今天，“文科生”一词也略带贬义。
这很正常。中国从1840年到1949年的痛苦历史促使全国人民反思：我们与外国人相比，究竟哪里不足？
一个关键因素是：我们不懂科学——物理、工程，不懂如何制造枪炮或军舰。
这使得中国对STEM的痴迷达到了狂热的程度。一种被愤怒所驱动的民族心理：“你们欺负我们，因为你们有马克沁机枪和军舰。好吧，我们要造出比你们多十倍、更好的军事机器……”
显然，诗人或律师对枪炮或军舰的制造贡献甚微，STEM 学科才是是关键因素，这在很大程度上推动了中国的 STEM 热潮。
As a Canadian, I find this perspective very interesting.
A great deal of the decline in the US appears to be the result of a lack of respect for, and even interest in, education. Many people, especially politically conservative people, are actually proud of being ignorant.
It isn’t as bad in Canada, but people here still don’t take learning as seriously as they should.
I will mention that I have Chinese made solar cells on my roof. They are well made and were inexpensive. They provide about half the electricity my family uses.
作为加拿大人，我觉得这个观点很有意思。
美国教育水平的下降很大程度上似乎是由于对教育缺乏尊重，甚至缺乏兴趣。许多人，尤其是政治保守派，实际上以无知为荣。
加拿大的情况没那么糟糕，但这里的人仍然没有像他们应该的那样认真对待学习。
我要说的是，我家屋顶上装的是中国产的太阳能电池。它们做工精良，价格低廉。它们提供了我家大约一半的用电量。
Well, liberals no longer study STEM either. They can’t even identify what a woman is anymore. How is it possible to lose a technology even our ancients had?
This is probably why they are angry they now need to pay back the government loans for their worthless college degrees.
好吧，自由主义者也不再学习STEM学科了。他们甚至都无法辨别女性是什么了。连我们古人都拥有的技术，怎么可以丢掉呢？
这大概就是为什么他们现在还要偿还政府贷款来换取他们那毫无价值的大学学位，人们为此感到愤怒。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
The US is in a very fascinating position right now, as if it is emerging as a Revenge of the Dullards kind of era. Electing trump is probably the pinnacle of this proud victory of stupidity over reason. It is staggeringly stupid, and you have to wonder if all the reasonable people have turned coward and gone into hiding
It never used to be this way here. Strange, strange times….
美国现在正处于一个非常令人迷惑的境地，仿佛正在步入一个“蠢货式复仇”的时代。特朗普当选或许是这场愚蠢战胜理性的骄傲胜利的巅峰。这愚蠢至极，你不禁会想，是不是所有理性的人都变得懦弱，躲了起来。这里以前从未如此。真是个奇怪的时代……
I wasn’t so sure when I was young. Watching Holly Wood’s movies about athletic students bullying anyone that do well in schools, calling them nerds. Even women or teeny girls avoid and discriminate them. I wasn’t even sure if that was real. I can only assume its theatrics for entertainment and storytelling.
That was and is the Hollywood portrayed people that value studies. Something I can never understand. Is it a cultural thing?
我年轻时并不确定。看着好莱坞电影里那些体育生欺负在学校里成绩表现优异的人，称他们为书呆子。甚至女性或小女孩也会避开并歧视他们。我甚至不确定这是否是真的。我只能假设这是为了娱乐和讲故事而进行的戏剧化表演。
好莱坞塑造的那些重视学习的人的形象就是这样的。这是我永远无法理解的事情。这是文化问题吗？
Yes, in many North American schools that kind of thing does happen to some extent. Not exactly like in the movies, but like that.
People who study hard and value learning are not as well respected in North American culture as compared to Europe or Asia.
是的，在许多北美学校，这种情况在一定程度上确实会发生。不完全像电影里那样，但就和那样差不多。
在北美文化中，勤奋好学的人并不像在欧洲或亚洲那样受到尊重。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
In some poor areas, where parents prefer kids to do chores instead of studying, the government offers free meals or even money to convince parents to let kids attend school.
This process require a lot of effort and patience to bring result. People in those area often don't want to change their lifestyle or familiar with the “grey” business so the education seem not interesting for them.
In Vietnam, on the border area where population mostly consists of minority ethnic groups, the border guard have to come to every single home in each tribe to convince the parents to let their kids go to school. However, some parents just faked agree to receive the welfare then later force their kids to go to work and the whole process get repeated again. The government can't put too much pressure on them because it can make them get pulled over by the criminal into illegal business like growing opium or human trafficking. This concern is not baseless because it is exactly what they were done for living for many years until the com...st government come to power.
“在一些贫困地区，父母更愿意让孩子在家做家务而不是去学校学习，政府会提供免费餐食甚至用补助来劝说父母让孩子上学。”
这个过程需要大量的努力和耐心才能取得成果。那些地区的人们往往不想改变他们的生活方式，或者对从事“灰色”行业习以为常，所以对他们来说教育似乎并不有趣。
在越南，边境地区人口大多是少数民族，边防人员不得不走进每个部落中的每一户人家，说服父母让他们的孩子去上学。然而，一些父母只是假装同意以领取福利，然后又强迫他们的孩子去工作，整个过程会反复上演。政府不能对他们施加太大压力，因为这可能会让他们被犯罪分子引诱从事鸦片种植或人口贩卖等非法生意。这种担忧并非空穴来风，因为他们正是为了谋生而这样做已经很多年了，直到GCZY政府掌权。
而且，在与中国接壤的柬埔寨南部边境，那里大多是京族越南人居住。这个地区的一些人沉迷于赌博和迷信，他们是能想象到的最糟糕的父母。他们把家里的钱带到柬埔寨的赌场，或者进行无意义的宗教仪式，同时强迫他们的孩子去工作养家。如果他们在赌场输了很多钱或者无法偿还债务，他们会试图带着家人逃到遥远的地方，然后再回去继续他们的旧爱好。当地的警察和边防部队总是很忙，以确保他们不会影响孩子们去做一些像为边境另一侧的犯罪集团工作或自己成为罪犯的事情。但说实话，当人们可以去走私，冒着几年牢狱之灾的风险，却可以获得比普通人一生工资高很多倍的利润时，很难说服他们专注于教育。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
In 1982 near the Wudang Mountain I saw peasant children walking to school in the pouring rain.
1982 年，在武当山附近，我看见农民的孩子们冒着倾盆大雨走向学校。
The land of opportunity... in education! China's emphasis on education is truly commendable. Who needs personal freedom when you can have a good education?
In India, meanwhile, people are still trying to figure out how to get their kids to school without them getting into a fight over a pencil.
China's education system: where exams are brutal, but fairness is key. No bribery, no nepotism – just pure, unadulterated meritocracy. (Unlike some countries where "connections" are everything.)
The STEM obsession: because who needs poets and lawyers when you can build guns and warships? China's focus on science and technology is what sets it apart from... well, everyone else.
机遇之地…在教育！中国对教育的重视确实值得称赞。当你可以拥有良好的教育时，谁还需要个人自由？
在印度，人们仍在努力想办法让孩子们上学，且不会因为一支铅笔而争吵。
中国的教育体系：考试虽然残酷，但公平是关键。没有贿赂，没有裙带关系——纯粹、未经污染的精英主义。（与一些国家不同，在那里“关系”才是关键。）
对STEM的痴迷：既然能造枪造舰，谁还需要诗人和律师？中国对科技的重视，正是它与……嗯，其他国家的区别所在。
China's warlords: where prioritizing education is key to success. Who knew that building schools was more important than building armies?
The poem about carrying books along a cliffside trail: because what's a little danger when it comes to education?
China's education system: where fairness and meritocracy reign supreme. Who needs democracy when you have a good education?
美国？它的一切都是关于“另类事实”和“假新闻”——这根本不是强大教育体系的基础。
中国的军阀：将教育认为是成功的关键。谁能想到建设学校比建设军队更重要？
关于在悬崖小径上携带书籍的诗：当教育面前，一点危险算什么？
印度这边，比如，“与此同时，我们的教育体系还在努力想办法确保每个人都能有个座位。”
中国的教育体系：公平和精英主义至高无上。当你有好的教育时，还需要民主吗？
It's very simple, expand the base of candidates for sextion.
1. China enforces compulsory education for 9 years. This ensures that all children have the opportunity to study.
2. Through the national system, all children who are willing to study can get the opportunity to go to school. If you have excellent grades, even if you don't have a penny and your family can't support you with a penny, you can still get undergraduate, master's and doctoral study opportunities through the national scholarship and loan system.
Tuition fees in Chinese universities are very low, accommodation costs are very low, and food costs are also very low. 2,000 US dollars can support all your expenses for one year of university.
The loan during college is 0 interest rate; the interest rate after graduation is 4%. 90% of students can pay off their loans within one year after graduation. In addition, banks cannot collect student loans. That is: if the student is unable to repay the loan, then the loan can only be a bad debt of the bank.
3. During the master's and doctoral periods, the state provides all expenses. The professor who guides you will generally give you some project expenses. Therefore, Chinese doctors not only have the money to study, but also have a surplus for marriage.
这很简单，扩大选拔的基础。
1. 中国实行九年义务教育。这确保了所有孩子都有学习的机会。
2. 通过国家体系，所有愿意学习的孩子都可以获得上学的机会。如果你成绩优秀，即使你身无分文，你的家庭也拿不出一分钱，你仍然可以通过获取国家奖学金和助学贷款获得本科、硕士和博士的就读机会。
中国大学的学费非常低，住宿费也非常低，伙食费也很低。2000 美元可以支持你一年的大学费用。
大学期间的贷款是 0 利率；毕业后是 4%。90%的学生可以在毕业后一年内还清贷款。此外，银行不能主动收取学生的贷款偿还。也就是说：如果学生无法偿还贷款，那么这笔贷款只能成为银行的坏账。
3. 在就读硕士和博士期间，国家提供所有费用。指导你的导师通常会给你一些项目费用。因此，中国的博士生不仅有钱学习，还有结余用于结婚。
By equal opportunity in education, all the ceeam will rise. With 1 billion candidates, you adjust for age, there will find 10,000 geniuses. Let them bloom, China is center of world again.
通过平等的教育机会，所有的人都会实现阶级跃迁。在10亿候选人中，根据年龄筛选，你也会发现1万个天才。让他们绽放出自己的光芒，中国就会再次成为世界的中心。
In my opinion, China scientists progress and the fervor for academic pursuits are not inherently tied to its education culture.
The widespread obsession with education across social classes stems from extreme scarcity of per capita resources, unequal distribution of societal wealth, and the concentration of power and capital in the upper echelons. This is a social phenomenon created to mitigate class contradictions, not unique to China.
In ancient China, for a commoner to achieve upward mobility, they had to excel in the imperial examination system. In modern times, the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) has replaced the imperial exams as a mechanism to screen and sext individuals from the lower classes.
India has developed a similar culture in recent history. The Indian underclass strives to enter the civil service system through the Civil Services Examination (CSE). Once a student achieves high scores, they can immediately break free from the constraints of the caste system and ascend into the new elite class. India’s civil service sextion system originated from the British model, and thus the UK also has analogous institutions.
在我看来，中国科学家的进步和对学术追求的热情并不与其教育文化本质上相关。
社会各阶层对教育的普遍痴迷源于人均资源的极度稀缺、社会财富的不平等分配以及权力和资本在上层阶级的集中。这是一个为了缓解阶级矛盾而创造的社会现象，并非中国独有。
在古代中国，一个平民要想实现向上流动，就必须在科举制度中表现出色。在现代，全国高考取代了科举考试，成为筛选和选拔下层阶级个体的机制。
印度在近代历史上也发展出了类似的文化。印度的底层阶级通过文官考试进入公务员系统。一旦学生取得高分，他们可以立即摆脱种姓制度的束缚，升入新的精英阶层。印度的文官选拔系统起源于英国模式，因此英国也有类似的机构。
The benefits are that the newly ascended elites acquire foundational knowledge and rigorous training, reducing the likelihood of irrational decision-making. It also provides social mobility, alleviating some class tensions.
The drawback is that students’ motivation to study often arises not from intellectual curiosity, but as a means to climb the social ladder—a zero-sum competition. Once individuals succeed in exams and achieve class elevation, their drive for learning diminishes, and they lose the incentive to further explore knowledge.
China’s capable to cultivate scientists within its domestic education system only happen in recent years. As Chinese society has grown wealthier overall, it has gained the capacity to sustain specialized groups detached from immediate productive needs—scientists, athletes, artists, etc.
After all, scientific research is not cheap. Experiments require funding, and returns are rarely immediate. Impoverished nations simply cannot afford to sustain scientific projects.
这种制度既有优点也有缺点。
优点在于新晋的精英获得了基础知识和严格训练，减少了非理性决策的可能性。它还提供了社会流动性，缓解了一些阶级矛盾。
缺点是，学生学习的动力往往不是来自求知欲，而是为了爬上社会阶梯——一场零和博弈。一旦个人在考试中成功并提升阶级，他们的学习动力就会减弱，失去进一步探索知识的动力。
中国能够在其国内教育体系中培养科学家，这只是在近年来才成为可能。随着中国社会整体变得越来越富裕，它已经获得了维持脱离即时生产需求的专业群体的能力——科学家、运动员、艺术家等。
毕竟，科学研究并不便宜。实验需要资金，而回报很少是即时的。贫穷的国家根本无法负担维持科学研究项目。