Aiming Toward Chimerica

This book reports on the communicative perspective of a Beijing, China teenager who is enrolled in a high school that is preparing him to study at an American university. As such, he will forego taking the standard Chinese “gao-kao” examination, completed by Chinese high school students, and specifically prepare to leave his homeland for collegiate study in a foreign land. Freddy Liu is the grandson of Liu Bin, former Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Education for all of China and his mother is the National PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) Project Manager for China. Freddy’s volunteer work with PISA has improved Chinese engagement with PISA. Freddy comes from a family that places a high value on educational experiences. He offers poignant insights regarding the expression & interpretation of Chinese meanings and Dr. Jim Schnell grounds those insights within American social science frameworks. The resulting report conveys understanding of a historic moment in time where east meets west at the nexus on today and tomorrow in the life of Chinese youth poised to embrace the future at a crossroads where anything is possible but nothing is certain.