Chinese universities’ over-the-top acceptance ‘letters’ include lotus seeds, singing boxes and the sound of pulsars
- This year’s university acceptance letters included packets of lotus flower seeds and a ‘singing box’
- One school used the Chinese Communist Party centenary celebrations in their letter
Summer is university acceptance time in China, and, in recent years, a “space race” has emerged between schools hoping to impress prospective students, excite incoming freshmen and receive some free online marketing.
Years ago, receiving a university acceptance letter was a straightforward proposition; a small envelope usually contained a rejection letter, while larger ones probably indicated an acceptance offer.
These days, for some schools, the word “letter” no longer does justice to their acceptance notices and “package” is a more accurate description.
One unique acceptance letter posted online this year came from Nankai University, in the northern municipality of Tianjin. The school sent accepted students small pouches filled with lotus seeds from Jiangxi province in eastern China.
Lotus flowers are an important plant in China and have been depicted in Chinese art for centuries.