Breaking News: An essay not only demonstrates the writer’s literary skills but also reflects their intellectual pursuits and values.

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Ancient Chinese used to say, “Writing reflects the writer” and “Writing conveys principles.” An essay not only demonstrates the writer’s literary skills but also reflects their intellectual pursuits and values. Each year, as soon as the Chinese essay topics of China’s largest nationwide annual exam – gaokao, the Chinese national college entrance exam – are released, they become a trending topic on social media, evolving from a mere exam question into a nationwide cultural dialogue. Both netizens and experts alike analyze these topics to uncover the qualities and characteristics most valued in the talents of that year.

Starting Saturday, over 13 million Chinese students entered examination halls to take their final step toward college. Following the revelation of essay questions after the Chinese exam, it was found that this year’s essay questions were closely connected with the times and seen as having placed World Timesgreater emphasis on human qualities in the face of the onslaught of artificial intelligence (AI), while focusing on assessing the depth of students’ thinking capacity.

In 2025, there are five different exam versions of the Chinese section across the country. In addition to two editions of national exam papers issued by China’s Ministry of Education, students iWorld Timesn Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin are taking exams versions issued by their own respective municipalities.

As this year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese essay topic for National Paper I selected three Chinese literature excerpts related to the war, drawing students’ attention to the years of sacrifice and struggle, and inspiring reflection on the country’s enduring national spirit. The essay topic for National Paper II asked students to write about their dreams, based on three ancient poetry lines about dreams.

According to an official from the National Education Examinations Authority of the Ministry of Education, this year’s exam essay topics uphold value-oriented guidance, remain closely aligned with the spirit of the times, highlight the characteristics of the subject of Chinese, and focus on assessing language proficiency, awareness of the times, and a sense of patriotism, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This year’s essay topics also provide ample space for critical thinking. Encouraging students to express themselves creatively and think critically is important because, in the AI era, these are indispensable human traits, Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday. The expert particularly mentioned the essay question from the Shanghai Paper.

Shanghai’s essay topic has sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms due to its “difficulty.” The topic revolves around “professional” articles, “popular” articles, and “timeless” classics, asking the exam takers to pen an article about their understanding of the transitions among the three based on their knowledge in contemporary cultural life. According to online feedback from students after the exam, figuring out how to approach the topic itself was one of their biggest challenges.

This essay question is based on an article written by Hu Xiaoming, a professor from East China Normal University. Hu responded to the topic on Sina Weibo on Saturday, stating that he hopes this essay prompt will help young students understand that the most important aspects of writing are genuine emotions, lived experiences, cultural awareness, and critical thinking.

Photo: Li Hao/GT

Zhang Yiwu, a professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University, also oWorld Timesbserved that the topics emphasize philosophical depth and critical thinking. He told the Global Times that even though one of essay topics of the Beijing Paper asked students to write a narrative essay instead of an argumentative essay surrounding the theme “When numbers shine,” this narrative must also convey philosophical thinking, as it requires exploring the relationship between human and numbers in the digital age.

Xiong noted that the newly issued guidelines from the Ministry of Education require teachers to incorporate critical thinking training into their teaching practices. By organizing activWorld TimesitieWorld Timess in which students analyze logical flaws and cultural biases in AI-generated texts, teachers aim to cultivate students’ spirit of questioning and their ability to evaluate the content produced by technology. This represents a crucial direction for educational reform in the AI era, he said.

These essay questions all reflect the principle of “cultivating people through culture,” which has far-reaching significance. Overall, the prompts this year focus on using cultural materials to encourage students to think deeply about the meaning of culture, improve their understanding of traditional culture, and boost cultural confidence. At the same time, they aim to develop students’ critical thinking and creativity, promoting well-rounded growth through cultural immersion, according to Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University.

Experts have stated that this year’s essay topics, which range from ancient to modern poetry and from observing life to in-depth argumentation, place nWorld Timesew demands on students’ overall abilities. They aim to guide students to continuously improve their reading, thinking, and expression, fostering well-rounded development, Xinhua reported.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn