De achttienjarige Peng Kun is één van de studenten die gevolgd worden in de documentaire. In onderstaand interview vertelt ze hoe het haar is vergaan na de Gaokao, waarvan het resultaat minder was dan ze verwachtte en haar leven op de universiteit.

-Can you tell me about how it is to be young in China?

Peng Kun: 'My childhood was fantastic. My parents created a free atmosphere for me. I could do lots of things I wanted to do at home, for example I began to learn to play the violin when I was 3 years old. This has been kept up 15 years until now. To be honest, it is now a little bit boring to be young in China. Teenagers seem to have more assignments to do than others in western countries. Fortunately, my parents don’t press too much on me. I don’t have lots of burdens indeed.'

-Is there, according to you, a difference between your life, as a young person in China, and the time when your parents were young? How will that be for the next generation?

'Yes, there is a big difference between my life and my parents’ young life. As what I heard from my parents, their life at that time was very poor. They didn’t have extra money for entertainment. And even sometimes they had to earn an extra income in their spare time to support the family’s finance. But my life seems to be full of sunshine. Though the school stuff is annoying, I don’t have to worry about the necessities of my family. I spend the money given from my parents on some girl’s things, never considering that my family doesn’t have enough money. Maybe the next generation is the same as mine. They may go to more parties and less considering finance when they are young.'

-When did you take the Gaokao exam and how did it go? Why did you want to take the test?

'I took the Gaokao exam in June. The result of it is neither good nor bad. But I still feel a little depressed because I thought I could have done it better. In China, the degree of university is very important. Most of the students in China have to take this exam with the aim of getting paid highly, unless they go abroad to study or directly get a job.'

-What happened with your life after you took the Gaokao exam?

'I began to learn how it is to be an adult. At the university, I get a fixed amount of money every month, so I have to learn to plan my money independently. This is a big change to me.'

-How do you see yourself in ten years?

'I have no idea about myself in ten years. I just want to try my best to become who I want to be. I am interested in ACCA now. Maybe I will become an economist.'