A Nanjing boy who sprang to international fame in 2012, after his father forced him to run almost naked in the snows of New York, has graduated with a college degree, now aged just 11-years old.
On 2 December, He Yide (何宜德) passed the Jiangsu Education Examination Institute’s face-to-face review that followed his gaining of a pass in preliminary examinations for the Sales Management self-study major in Nanjing University.
Staff of the Self-Study Examination Test Office initially suspected that there was a problem with their computer system. After learning that the age input was correct, they congratulated Yide for setting a record as the youngest graduate in the history of self-study.
While obviously a major milestone for Yide, the result is also a vindication of sorts for his father, He Liesheng (何烈胜), who came in for a torrent of global criticism in 2012 when he made Yide run through the snows of New York’s winter, dressed only in his underwear. Videos of the incident were an immediate viral sensation on YouTube and media outlets worldwide.
Born premature in Anhui on 11 February, 2008, Yide arrived in this world with several health problems; doctors suspected that his water on the brain may have meant he had cerebral palsy.
After being discharged from hospital, his father helped him recover through extraordinary physical exercise. Following his earning of the nickname, “Naked Running Brother”, after his outing in freezing New York, Yide ascended Mount Fuji a year later, going on to fly a plane and write letters to more than 50 heads of state at age 6, and publish an autobiography at age 7.
Yide’s daily study schedule is very tight, emphasising self-discipline and continuity. Regardless of the severe cold or hot weather, he wakes up at 6 am, goes jogging and reads, before a period of intense study after a simple breakfast. For Yide, being self-taught means putting on headphones to listen to lectures by famous teachers and completing the supporting exercises. In addition to his four classes in the morning, he reviews the content of cultural lessons in junior and senior high schools.
Some will be surprised that Yide’s weekends are normal; every Saturday and Sunday, it’s rest and entertainment. He likes his father to take the whole family to the cinema; Yide communicates with his father as an equal and friend, while his mother looks after the siblings.
Known as “Eagle Dad”, He proposed for his son an education comprising sport, EQ, IQ, moral character, awareness, courage and consciousness, through that he termed “extreme environment theory”.
A poll conducted by the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee Publicity Department revealed that slightly more than 50 percent of respondents found He’s methods unreasonable, 36 percent thought the child’s own wishes should be respected and 14 percent thought they were reasonable.
