The Story of Zhang Xinyang: Child Prodigy to Disappointment

BEIJING, KOMPAS.com – When he was 2.5 years old, Zhang Xinyang was predicted to be a great person.

Because, at that age, he was able to learn more than a thousand Mandarin characters in three months. Then, at the age of four, this prodigy was already in elementary school.

Born to a humble family in China, Zhang benefited from his father’s guidance and managed to pass several classes.

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At the age of six, he was already in the fifth grade, and at the age of nine, he was enrolled in the third grade of high school.

When he was ten years old, Zhang Xinyang became the youngest student in China.

He was accepted into Tianjin University of Technology and Education.

As reported by Oddy Central on Wednesday (6/12/2023), Zhang’s genius surprised many people.

In fact, he was already a PhD candidate in Applied Mathematics at the age of 16.

Zhang’s attitude began to change

As he grew older, Zhang’s attitude reportedly began to change.

At the age of 13, Zhang started a Master’s program in Beijing.

When most other 16-year-olds were considering which universities to apply to, Zhang Xinyang was already pursuing a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics and doing interviews with major news agencies.

However, media coverage is not as positive as before.

Just a month into his stint at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) as a Ph.D., this child prodigy made headlines for giving his parents an ultimatum.

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He apparently asked his parents to buy him an apartment in Beijing. If not, he will drop out of college.

“My parents want me to live in Beijing. However, if I don’t have my own house, I will be like the homeless of Beijing,” Zhang said in a TV interview at the time.

“If I’m like them, then why do my parents want me to get a doctorate?” he added.

Zhang wants his parents to be responsible for providing a decent living environment for him.

So, Zhang’s parents always fought so that their child could stay in college even though his requests were almost impossible to fulfill.

The reason Zhang’s parents kept their son from studying for a doctorate was because Zhang’s father was also a talented child.

Zhang’s father could have been a student in the MBA program at Renmin University. But his family couldn’t afford it.

For this reason, Zhang’s father really hopes that his son can achieve everything that Zhang’s father couldn’t achieve.

One of the efforts made by Zhang’s father was to lie that the apartment in Beijing had been bought. Even though his parents only rented it.

Zhang Xinyang’s attitude then received a lot of criticism from the public. However, that did not affect Zhang in the slightest at that time.

“My parents gave birth to me and forced their dreams on me, hoping that one day I would achieve what they wanted to achieve in the past,” explained the 16-year-old at the time.

However, Zhang’s parents sometimes regretted pushing him too hard.

On the other hand, they hope that their success will justify the actions of Zhang’s parents. However, everything did not go as expected.

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Now Zhang just sits in his apartment

Now, at 28 years old, Zhang Xinyang is not the man she most expected.

Because, he still lives in the apartment in Beijing that he rented many years ago.

In fact, the apartment is still the responsibility of Zhang’s parents to continue to cover the rental costs.

However, Zhang doesn’t have a job and just spends most of his time sitting around doing nothing.

He believes that this simple way of life is a true expression of happiness for him. Apart from that, Zhang also feels satisfied because he can still rely on his parents to support himself.

“They owe me a debt of gratitude. The apartment they never bought for me should be worth more than 10 million yuan (1.4 million US dollars) now,” Zhang recently said of his parents.

Zhang’s story has become a topic of conversation among netizens in the “Bamboo Curtain Country”. There are some people who criticize him for his arrogance and lack of respect towards his parents.

However, others say that this story is a warning to parents who push their children too much, who should allow their children to enjoy their childhood.

Lecturer Zhang Xinyang told reporters that the man still has time to achieve great things if he is determined. But in reality, Zhang did not intend to do any work.

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“There’s no financial freedom if you work for someone else, it’s just a joke. So at least now I don’t have to deal with other people,” explained Zhang.

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2023-12-08 13:28:00
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