Four straight-A female students from China stood out from 14 final candidates and won the prestigious Rhodes scholarships, after passing an online application, two rounds of web interviews and a two day-long final interview. 

All four Rhodes scholarship recipients will start their postgraduate studies at Oxford next October.

The four winners of the diamond-cut-diamond competition are Gao Jun and Zhang Yuan, both from Tsinghua University, Yan Yan from Nanjing University, and Zhou Xiaorui from the National University of Singapore and Paris Institute of Political Studies.

Gao Jun

Gao Jun, a student from the Global Environment Program of Tsinghua University, aspires for a master degree in economics at Oxford to improve environment governance by analyzing environmental policies through economics.

Zhang Yuan

Zhang Yuan, a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, has set her sight on becoming an architect to study the concept of family and house in traditional Chinese culture and relevant space issues. So she plans to pursue her master’s degree in the humanities at Oxford.

Yan Yan

Nanjing University student Yan Yan, who previously majored in applied psychology, plans to focus her studies on clinical neurology at Oxford to improve the diagnostic criteria for emotional and anxiety disorder.

Zhou Xiaorui

Zhou Xiaorui is taking dual degrees of history and Middle East studies at National University of Singapore and Paris Institute of Political Studies. She plans on taking a master's degree in contemporary China studies and women's studies.

"I feel honored to participate in the selection process and witness a group of young people who not only excelled in academics, but also paid profound attention to social issues and took action. So I hope all the recipients can make phenomenal contributions to China and the world," said Li Yinuo, president of the selection committee this year.

Since the introduction of the Rhodes scholarship in China in 2015, 20 Rhodes scholars from China have been awarded to aid their post-graduate studies at Oxford, said Elizabeth Kiss, Warden and CEO of Rhodes Trust.

Some of the Chinese scholars have worked in AI, media and other sectors, while others moved on to their doctoral studies in criminology, law, statistics and other fields in Oxford and other prestigious universities.

Established in 1902, the Rhodes scholarship is one of the oldest and most prestigious international scholarship programs in the world. The program has expanded to more countries and regions in recent years, with over 250 Rhodes scholars studying at Oxford. The Rhodes Trust hopes to increase the number of Chinese mainland recipients of the scholarship to 8, Kiss said.