Matthew Sullivan, 2026 SCCEI Summer Study Program Participant

Matthew Sullivan, Math

I have always been fascinated by books describing the world unknown to me. Whether that be Spanish literature describing ancient Moorish conflicts or sagas describing the rise and fall of Japan’s Shogunate; my views on the world are often shaped by the places farthest from me. That is why it was such a pleasure to participate in the SCCEI China 2026 trip.

When I reflect on the most important parts of my time in China, one primary experience shaped it all. At the end of the trip, we visited Tsinghua University - perhaps the best example of Professor Li’s “Chinese competition framework.” Going into this part of the trip, we had already learned extensively about the Gaokao and its position as a principal societal institution among the broader Chinese social economy. Still, the concept of China’s grandest tournament was an abstract social concept to me, at least before the Tsinghua visit.

As we pulled into Tsinghua, we were greeted by grand halls and commencement ceremony signs. While disembarking from the bus, we quickly were met with a group of student tour guides who showed us around campus. These students were primarily international students, coming from places like Malaysia, Canada, and Russia. This meant that they did not enter Tsinghua through Gaokao placement; however, they still ensured that the majority of students here were admitted through the Gaokao. Questions quickly arose about Tsinghua’s student life, and it became clear that international students were on a different path than their Chinese counterparts. Comments like “domestic students comprise 99% of the most competitive majors” or “international students often have to socialize by themselves” made clear that even those who win the Gaokao have not yet won the tournament.

Walking around the dining hall surrounded by students in purple graduation robes and their gleeful parents displayed just how much societal impact a Tsinghua degree holds. To these parents, this graduation signifies the completion of the most important arc of their lives. They can finally rest knowing that their children have achieved their dreams and have graduated from the best university in China. There was no obscurity here, these parents had won.

Later lectures at the School of Economics and Management also made clear that the tournament was still ongoing. We were presented with many of China’s impressive growth statistics, and future goals. It was quite clear that China wanted to spread her sphere of influence, and that collaboratively competing with the US was an apt way to do so. We heard about the tournament of exports, sanctions, reserve currencies, and more - all underlined by graduates taking pictures in the beautiful hall of the School of Economics and Management’s new building. This was a school where winners sought new places to compete, in both industry and geopolitics.

As we embarked from Tsinghua, we left having seen the pinnacle of China’s tournament. Every aspect of that university was driven by competition, an odd dichotomy from a country led by a “communist” party. Perhaps in the pursuit of a more equitable society, the CCP has only reinforced the most brutally binary tournament of market competition. Here in China, more than anywhere I have ever been, you win or lose. That is why China has and will consistently win.