Advice from Hawkings

Charlie Campbell has a BBC article from Beijing about Steven Hawkings and Chinese kids:

As Chinese youngsters sit down for the most important exams of their life, known as the gaokao, which are pretty much equivalent to the American SATs, on Tuesday and Wednesday, celebrated British physicist professor Stephen Hawking shared a few choice words of inspiration:

“I want to wish you, the next generation of scientific minds, success in your academic endeavors,” he posted on his Weibo social-media account, which boasts over four million followers. “Whether you aim to be a doctor, teacher, scientist, musician, engineer or a writer, be fearless in your pursuit of your aspirations. You are the next generation of big thinkers and thought leaders that will shape the future for generations to come.”

The Theory of Everything author’s post racked up over over four hundred thousand likes at the time of publication, as well as over fifty thousand comments from appreciative fans.
“With your blessing, my IQ gets higher,” wrote one Weibo user.
“A lot of students see you as a role model, including me. Thanks for your words,” wrote another.
Some ten million students are due to sit the two-day college entrance examination this year, according to China’s Ministry of Education.
The pressure is enormous for young Chinese; many are poised to be the first in their families to enter higher education in the newly affluent Asian superpower.
Compounding matters, China’s recently abandoned one-child policy means many young people are solely relied upon to support their parents through their dotage. (China’s system of social security is patchy at best.)
As such, Chinese parents place a tremendous emphasis on education; children as young as six must contend with several hours of homework every night, even after regular schooling.
The gaokao has also been linked with a spike in suicides, which account for more than a quarter of a million lives in China annually.

Rico says very few American kids kill themselves over their SAT scores... (Rico says his were disgustingly high, so that wasn't an issue. Besides, Rico went to art school, where they didn't care...) Unfortunately, no one seems to have posted a recording of his message; Howard from The Big Bang Theory would do a great imitation: