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This article is reprinted from Zhihu.

Author: Zhang Baiyi

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Source: Zhihu

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A Furious Response When I was in my second year of high school, I participated in the first-ever full-grade exam boycott in my alma mater's hundred-year history. Although I am now in my second year of university, recalling it still gives me a thrilling sense of excitement.

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All kids in Jiangsu know that in the second year of high school we have a grueling “mini college entrance exam.” This incident happened just a week after that mini exam, when the school suddenly announced that the second-year students would have a monthly exam over the weekend, including evening hours. Honestly, if it were a regular monthly exam, we would have just complained a little and gone to study. But! The context at that time was completely different. First, it was only a week after the mini college exam, and everyone's mind was still in a relaxed state after the big test, frankly not focused on studying. Second, after the mini exam, we were only given half a day off!! While other schools had a day and a half off. How could a prestigious high school in the province be so stingy! This caused widespread dissatisfaction among the students. Third, Hengshui High School was very famous at the time, and after the school leaders visited Hengshui, they announced they would imitate Hengshui's methods. As a century-old school, imitating others caused massive student resentment.

That was the background of the incident. By Friday evening, the exam was about to start. Although everyone had been angry all week, there was no concrete action until that morning. Two notices suddenly appeared on the bulletin boards of each floor in the second-year building. One criticized the school for adopting Hengshui's model for weekend and evening exams, which violated education department regulations. The second notice was even bolder, directly calling for a boycott to protest the school. These notices were like a thunderbolt on a clear day. In just one break, all second-year students knew about them. These notices were like sparks, igniting a small flame in our hearts, and on everyone's faces, there was not only surprise but also anticipation, a kind of eager expectation for chaos. Of course, the school was alarmed. After one class, the notices were torn down, and homeroom teachers came to warn us not to mess around. But what the school didn't anticipate was that their response only added fuel to the flame in every student's heart, making us realize we had a chance to resist. If the school ignored it, this might have been the end of it. After class, everyone excitedly discussed in the hallways. When we learned that these notices were put up by students in the Liberal Arts Elite Class, we were inspired, encouraged by the top students (for context, the Liberal Arts Elite Class consists of the top 50 students in liberal arts; most of the Tsinghua and Peking University students come from this class). Seeing top students leading a rebellion against the school gave us more courage.

By evening, an hour before the exam, the atmosphere in the building was tense, a special calm before a big battle. The third and fourth floors were science students, first and second floors were liberal arts. People whispered that the liberal arts class downstairs had decided to boycott. We science students were eager but still hesitant. When the bell rang to go to the exam, everyone went to their respective classrooms. Upstairs, the science students had no idea the liberal arts class had already started the boycott. Not a single one went to the exam; they sat quietly in their classrooms. Then the girls from the Liberal Arts Elite Class ran upstairs into our classroom, shouting, "We in liberal arts have boycotted! You decide what to do!!!" Wow!! This sentence was like the famous line "Are kings and dukes born with privileges?" It instantly doused our small flame with gasoline. Everyone rushed out of the classroom in a roar. The invigilators shouted, "Come back! Come back!" but no one listened. Everyone poured into the hallways. When I ran out, the building was full of noise. Some shouted, "No exam! I'm not taking it!!" Others slammed classroom doors to keep invigilators out. Everyone was excitedly chatting in the corridors, wearing the revolutionary triumphant smiles. The first-year and third-year students next door stopped studying and watched. The chaos lasted half an hour. The invigilators eventually left, and the homeroom teachers called us back to classrooms, announcing no exam would take place. Amid cheers, there was a sense of revolutionary victory.

This incident was sensational. The entire prefecture knew about our exam boycott at Haimen High School. The next day, adults were discussing it everywhere. Reportedly, alumni abroad even called the principal to say, "The kids at Haimen are incredible!" Although we successfully boycotted the exam, we faced severe criticism from the school, and the four brave students in the Liberal Arts Elite Class were punished. Yet, leading hundreds of students to cause such a big stir in a short time earned our utmost respect. I feel these four "warriors" will live extraordinary lives in the future!

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I didn't expect so many friends to like my response. I was truly flattered. I labeled this boycott as "bizarre" because it was indeed radical, driven by youthful impulsiveness: forget the exam! Looking back, I discussed it with the four "gang" members, and they also felt it was a bit excessive. But who hasn't done a few reckless things in youth? Reflecting now, it is indeed remarkable. Note: this article does not intend to disparage Haimen High School. We all deeply love our alma mater. Life and study there were intense but also full of fun. Thank you, Haimen High School.

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By chance, while searching for Haimen on Baidu, I found that someone had posted our boycott online. It seemed quite popular at the time.

This 4.11 incident refers to our exam boycott.