‘Forgive me’: crying girl in China filmed begging Confucius statue’s forgiveness for low test mark renews academic pressure debate, goes viral

A man in southern China happened upon ‘a kid’ weeping on her knees while worshipping a Confucius statue late in the evening on Saturday. The girl was on her knees in tears begging the statue’s forgiveness for a poor test result and saying she had dishonoured her parents. — SCMP

Footage of a teenage girl kneeling in front of a Confucius statue and weeping over a poor test score has gone viral on mainland Chinese social media, where it has renewed debate about the intense pressure placed on the country’s youth.

The video was taken in the city of Foshan in Guangdong province, southern China, by a man, surnamed Chen. He said he happened upon “a kid” weeping on her knees while worshipping a Confucius statue late in the evening on Saturday.