Chen Yazhuo delivered a keynote speech at the United Nations Youth Assembly. Every day, she memorizes 8,000 words, reads "Harvard MBA Tutorial", organizes "Yizhong Model United Nations", gives speeches at the UN Youth Assembly, hosts the Sino-US Cultural Exchange Night celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the US, and politely declines the principal's recommendation for "direct admission to Peking University"... Compared to her peers who are under 16 years old, her actions seem incredibly unique. In just over half a month, she will be going to Hong Kong to take the SAT (the "American College Entrance Examination"), and she is currently still working hard to organize and implement a large-scale charity performance titled "Achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals, Raising Funds for Southwest Disaster Areas." This young girl also displays an incredible composure.
"If you plan to develop your career domestically, I suggest studying for your undergraduate degree in China. If you've already planned to develop your career abroad, I recommend pursuing your undergraduate studies overseas." On April 12, Chen Yazhuo from Changsha explained to reporters why she politely declined the principal's recommendation for "direct admission to Peking University": "I've thought it through. The company I will serve in the future should be on Wall Street."
"My short-term goal is to become an HYP student"
"HYP stands for Harvard, Yale, and Princeton; an HYP student is one who gets admitted to all three schools simultaneously. There are already many HYP students in some prestigious schools in Beijing. There are fewer HYP students in Hunan, so when I proposed this, it seemed quite surprising." Chen Yazhuo, a sophomore at Yizhong High School in Changsha, early on politely declined the "Peking University direct admission" opportunity and candidly stated: "My goal is to get into a university ranked in the top 20 in the U.S."
"My choice is not based on which school is better but rather on my personal life planning. A friend of mine whose father runs a business mainly focused on the domestic market clearly intends to inherit his father's business, so I suggested he choose Peking University. However, I am interested in the United Nations and Wall Street, and studying for my undergraduate degree in the U.S. might be more suitable for me." Chen Yazhuo said, "Because I gave up 'Peking University direct admission,' I feel very relaxed now, especially in getting along with my classmates."
She founded the "Yizhong Model United Nations," established the "Hunan Middle School Students Union," and served as the president of the school's Student Union, making Chen Yazhuo a "star" both inside and outside the school.
In order to simulate the work of the United Nations and related international institutions, play the role of foreign diplomats, and engage in policy debates, Chen Yazhuo self-studied college-level courses such as "Introduction to Investment Banking," saying, "Currently, the person I admire most is Hu Zuliù, because he works for Goldman Sachs, has influence in the financial sector, and is from Hunan."
She was received by the consul general at the United Nations
"The socially capable children don't have my academic achievements; the academically excellent children don't have my social capabilities." At the sixth session of the United Nations Youth Assembly in 2009, Chen Yazhuo, the youngest delegate, began her speech like this.
In 2009, China sent its first delegation to the United Nations Youth Assembly, and Chen Yazhuo became one of the first 20 representatives from Hunan. She represented Hunan's youth at the UN Youth Assembly, choosing a topic that could delve deeply into economics: "The Integration of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan and Global Partnerships." Despite being only 15 years old, she fearlessly discussed the economic profile and development of Hunan in English before a global audience of talented young people.
Chen Yazhuo's outstanding performance earned her commendations from the United Nations Department of Public Information and the United Nations Friendly Ambassador Foundation, as well as meetings, awards, and inscriptions from the Chinese Consul General and Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy. The UN Youth Assembly also specially selected her to host the Sino-U.S. Cultural Exchange Night.
Public performances for the UN Millennium Development Goals
"The UN Millennium Development Goals include eradicating poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating diseases (AIDS), ensuring environmental sustainability, and fostering global partnerships."
It is hard to believe that such an agenda comes from the mouth of a girl under 16 years old, and even more urgently: "The final deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals is 2015, and there must be an increasing number of people contributing their efforts towards achieving these goals. Therefore, we need to form a 'Middle School Students Union' and organize public performances for the UN Millennium Development Goals."
With the support of the International Exchange Department of the Provincial Department of Commerce and Yizhong High School in Changsha, Chen Yazhuo used Yizhong as a base, united eight high schools, and formed the "Hunan Middle School Students Union," planning a series of public performances around the eight UN Millennium Development Goals. "Our first public performance will take place on the afternoon of April 18 in the central square of Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street. We will screen a short film about the disaster areas in the southwest that we made ourselves, perform a play about AIDS prevention, and include a live donation segment."
"Through a series of public performances, we aim to call on more Chinese youth to start taking action from their own communities to promote the realization of the Millennium Development Goals." ■ Journalist Tan Jinyan
Behind the Story
In Her Mother's Eyes
The Success Secrets of the "Finance Girl"
Serious dedication reduces pressure
Many students at Yizhong High School in Changsha feel immense pressure, but despite this, Ya Zhuo continues to focus much of her energy on various activities without letting her academic performance slip. Ms. Ding says, "Ya Zhuo is a serious person. She seriously dedicates herself to studying and seriously dedicates herself to activities. This serious dedication actually helps relieve pressure. Moreover, after succeeding, the extreme sense of relaxation allows her to energetically and confidently move on to the next stage of study or work."
Correct methods lead to twice the results with half the effort
Chen Yazhuo never memorizes words "by 50 words per day." Human memory patterns dictate that people can only firmly remember 30% of the words they memorize. "By the last day, those who memorize 50 words per day may only remember the last 50 words. Using this method, they will eventually break down."
Instead, Chen Yazhuo memorizes 8,000 words per day (equivalent to the capacity of a dictionary), measuring progress in "rounds" rather than "days." "Many people fail in the first round because they feel they haven't remembered anything. But that's okay. By the third or fourth round, you'll start to 'have an impression'; by the fifth or sixth round, you'll remember but not accurately; by the sixth or seventh round, you'll recognize them immediately; by the tenth round, you'll understand them thoroughly and accurately." Chen Yazhuo firmly believes that correct methods can achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Even a "manager" can stand alone
From the age of five when she started school, every winter and summer vacation, the only "tutorial class" her parents gave Chen Yazhuo was traveling. "Reading ten thousand scrolls and traveling ten thousand miles is the most direct educational method," Ms. Ding said. During each trip, Chen Yazhuo was the "little manager."
"Independently handling affairs has trained her, making her very confident." Ms. Ding said that in 2009, Chen Yazhuo flew alone to Shenzhen for a meeting, returned home late at night, and then flew alone to Beijing the next day to handle a visa. Ms. Ding only gave her one sentence: "I believe you can handle it." ■ Journalist Tan Jinyan