Harvard speech sparks China debate on elite education access, privilege

Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year’s Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education.

The speech by Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, the first Chinese woman chosen as Harvard’s student commencement speaker, called for global unity amid US President Donald Trump’s plan to “aggressively” revoke Chinese student visas.

Internet users have since raised questions about a lack of access for many ordinary students who have struggled to be considered for prestigious universities, citing an uneven distribution of financial and educational resources.

While some praised her message of “a shared humanity”, which echoed Beijing’s diplomatic vision of “a community with a shared future for mankind”, others criticised her “privileged” background and questioned whether she truly represented the broader Chinese student population.

According to Harvard Magazine, Jiang, originally from Qingdao in eastern China, attended high school in the United Kingdom. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University before enrolling at the Harvard Kennedy School for a master’s degree.

Internet users also questioned her volunteer experience in the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation – where her father reportedly worked as a director, and which played a role in securing a recommendation letter for her Harvard application in 2022.

South China Morning Post