"Our Hot Life" concluded successfully last month. The end of the group variety show also signifies that after a year, the "Call Me by Fire" brothers have finally "graduated" from Mango TV!
Meanwhile, the new season of "Sisters Who Make Waves" (Sisters 3) has begun its pre-launch buzz. Recent leaks have been pouring in, and the rumored lineup has people exclaiming, "Oh my!"
Not only does it feature the simultaneous return of the "Big Devils" Na Ying and Ning Jing from the first two seasons, but also the likely participation of "tears of the times" such as Zhang Qiang, Xu Ruyun, Hu Xing'er, Cyndi Wang, Charlene Choi, and Gillian Chung. Even more surprising is the presence of new Winter Olympic champion Xu Mengtao.
"Recently practicing dancing," "Hong Kong University of Science and Technology," "Singer of 'Decent'," "Former Girls' Generation member"... In addition to the guests themselves, the [current status], [remarks], and [graduation institution] columns in this list are also quite intriguing. While onlookers are gossiping, they can't help but remark: They're looking at talent, experience, and even academic credentials. Has involution finally reached the entertainment industry?!
Academic Showdown of "Sisters Who Make Waves 3"
The Classically Trained
Among the mainland Chinese guests rumored to join this season's Sisters, whether dancers, singers, or actors, most have received formal professional training.
Among the actors, Sui Junbo, Zhang Xinyi, Mao Junjie, Zhang Li, Zhao Yingzi, and Wang Zixuan—graduates of the Central Academy of Drama almost dominate the list.
Tang Shiyi and Zhu Jiejing, two top dancers, are from Beijing Dance Academy and Shanghai Theatre Academy & Shanghai Dance School respectively. One from the north, one from the south, each with their own merits.
Also, singer Tan Weiwei not only graduated from Sichuan Conservatory of Music but is also employed there.
The Academic Superstars
Among the rumored guests for Sisters 3, when it comes to Liu Lian, you may not know who she is, but you definitely know her alma mater, Peking University.
A talented woman from PKU, she gave up graduate school recommendation, formed a band, was nominated three times for Golden Melody Awards, and amazed audiences. This is Liu Lian, lead singer of Mr. Miss, a post-90s academic ace who loves jazz.
Hu Xing'er, you surely know who she is, but you may not know that she studied biochemistry at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
As a true STEM whiz, she accidentally began her acting career when she accompanied a friend to the Miss Hong Kong pageant.
The Overseas Returnees
Speaking of international students on the rumored list, one cannot omit Kelly Yu, who rose to fame with the song "Decent". In 2008, Yu Wenwen received an offer from Berklee College of Music with excellent grades.
After graduating from Berklee, she released her debut album "Fighting Spirit" and officially debuted as a singer in China.
Besides Yu Wenwen, Gillian Chung is also an international student. After finishing high school in Hong Kong, she went to study in Australia, majoring in media at RMIT University.
RMIT is the only Australian university institution to be granted a royal title by the British monarchy, and its media program is on par with those of the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney.
No to "Nine-Year Compulsory Education Dropouts"
In fact, rather than "involution", it's better to say that both netizens and production teams are placing more emphasis on artists' inner qualities and knowledge. After all, with the rise of "idol culture" in China in recent years, the sudden emergence of "nine-year compulsory education dropouts" has led to countless embarrassing blunders.
UNIQUE-born Wang Yibo excels at dancing, skateboarding, and motorcycling, but his endless string of misspelled characters makes people frown.
For example, he couldn't write the character for "here" in "I was here," missed a stroke in the character for "blessing," and even gave up and wrote pinyin. No wonder netizens jokingly call him a typical "nine-year compulsory education dropout."
NINE PERCENT (disbanded) could be said to have started the trend of idol survival show groups in China, but within this group, academic qualifications and popularity seemed inversely proportional.
Cai Xukun, the "top center", and Fan Chengcheng, ranked third, only have a junior high school education, while Huang Minghao has only a primary school education. On the show "Keep Running", Cai Xukun also misspelled the character for "lose."
And for the top girl group in China, Rocket Girls 101, the bachelor's degree rate was only 45.45%. Among the top three, Meng Meiqi and Yang Chaoyue both dropped out of junior high school, having only primary school education.
Although Meng Meiqi's professional skills are somewhat better than Yang Chaoyue's, their ability to write wrong characters could be said to be equally matched.
When it comes to THE9 and BonBon Girls 303, although they are not as famous as their seniors, their educational backgrounds are significantly higher.
Especially for BonBon Girls 303, the bachelor's degree rate is as high as 99.9%. The center, Curley G, graduated from Berklee College of Music. Her academic credentials drew much attention even before the show aired.
From the changing educational backgrounds of idol groups, it's easy to see that the "entry threshold" in the entertainment industry is being raised.
Although academic credentials don't determine character, if idols could properly exercise their cultural influence, much of the chaos in fan circles could be reduced, and netizens could stop saying "the entertainment industry is doomed" as often.
Even Commoners on Variety Shows Are Judged by Their Degrees
Besides idol survival shows, on programs more oriented toward ordinary people, such as talk shows, "The Brain", and "An Exciting Offer", educational background also becomes a hot topic.
When it comes to Hulan, you may not remember what jokes he told, but you've surely heard that a top student from Columbia University emerged in the stand-up comedy industry.
When it comes to writing, he can craft jokes that are highbrow and memorable; when it comes to reasoning, he can do actuarial calculations and steal the show on "The Brain". It can be said that the label "Columbia graduate" gave the ordinary Hulan a head start over others when he first set foot in the entertainment world.
Compared to the netizens' admiration for Hulan's credentials, the previous season of "An Exciting Offer" drew widespread mockery of the contestants' educational backgrounds right from the start.
@Netizen X: Having a master's degree is a basic requirement for medical students, right?
@Netizen S: Not trying to argue, but the academic qualifications are low, because nowadays doctors are mostly doctoral graduates.
@Netizen W: Is the 347's academic qualification for real? It's even inferior to my alma mater...
@Netizen T: Based in Beijing, the vet at the pet hospital I took my dog to was a master's from China Agricultural University... So that's for dogs, let alone for humans.
Although some comments may not be entirely objective, they obliquely reflect the importance that netizens, and indeed the entire medical industry, place on academic credentials.
In today's internet age, we often see discussions like "Is education more important or ability?" and netizens always engage in heated debates.
Actually, if ability is likened to the soil and bricks used to build a skyscraper, then academic credentials are the indispensable foundation underground. No matter how advanced the building materials, it's hard to shape them into something without the support of a foundation.
As members of society, without the stepping stone of a diploma, it's difficult to freely display our talents. Not to mention how much talent and opportunity is unearthed and accumulated through continuous study and further education.
Stand taller, see farther.
Take studying abroad for a graduate degree, for example. As a path for self-cultivation and academic advancement, what it gives ordinary people is not an aloof "privilege," nor just a simple diploma.
More importantly, this educational journey of drawing nourishment from different cultures enables us to become better versions of ourselves.
