SHANGHAI (SCMP): It is said that twins, or in this case, triplets, possess a special intuition, which may explain how three young women in China were accepted into the same prestigious mainland university.
The sisters – Hong Yilan, Hong Qilan, and Hong Shenglan – were born in 2005 and were all admitted to Fuzhou University in Fujian province in southeast China, for the upcoming academic year, according to People’s Daily.
While each sister will pursue different programmes, they will uphold their family’s tradition of attending the same school, continuing a bond they have maintained since kindergarten through primary and secondary school.
“What luck!” their mother, Hong Yashuang, remarked. “They were born together, grew up together, and share the closest relationship in the world.”
She also mentioned that the university admissions were a “fulfilment of the prophecy of their names”.
The mother said the girls have been self-disciplined since childhood and share hobbies of drawing and calligraphy. - The Paper
Their names are rooted in the foundational character “lan” and include the distinct characters “Yi”, “Qi”, and “Sheng”. Together, the phrase yi qi sheng signifies “being born together”, which also resembles another phrase that means “achieving victory together”.
The lan character means “blue” in English, but the mother took it from the idiom qing chu yu lan sheng yu lan, which means “the pupil has outgrown the master”.
She chose her daughters’ names after seeking advice from her former teacher.
Mother Hong said the girls have been self-disciplined since they were children and share the same hobbies of drawing and calligraphy.
The girls would stay home to read books, draw pictures, or do calligraphy when their parents were busy at work.
The eldest daughter, Yilan, stated: “We accompany and help each other. We compete with each other in our studies. We learn from each other and make progress together.”
The sisters are each other’s supporters and competitors to challenge one another to excel. - The Paper
Yilan emphasised that the sisters would provide emotional support while preparing for the gaokao, China’s challenging, standardised university entrance exam.
The triplets achieved impressive scores of 602, 605, and 590 out of 750.
They applied to many institutions across China, but all managed to get accepted into Fuzhou University. The sisters’ majors will be information management, international trade, and mineral processing.
The Fujian-based Yingdu Education Fund rewarded each of them with 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) for their excellent academic performances.
Mother Hong expressed her hopes for her daughters, stating that she wants them “to continue encouraging one another and to study hard at university.”
Their story soon became one of the top stories online in China.
“What beautiful sisters! They look identical, haha,” said one netizen on Douyin.
Another person said: “Their parents are so fortunate to have such pretty, smart, and obedient children.” - South China Morning Post
