On June 17, 2026, the history section of the junior high school academic proficiency exam (中考) in Yunnan Province presented several factual inaccuracies, sparking widespread discussions on the internet.
According to “The Paper”, the background information for question 29 in the history exam stated that Thomas Edison was born in 1882 in New York, and invented over 1000 patented technologies including the light bulb, telephone, and motion pictures. It also mentioned that he experimented with over 1600 materials before inventing the first practical incandescent light bulb in 1879, and established the first coal-fired power station in the U.S. in 1882.
However, some netizens pointed out three factual errors in this question. Firstly, the birth year was completely wrong as Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, not New York. Secondly, Edison did not invent the telephone, as it is widely acknowledged to be invented by Bell. Lastly, claiming that Edison founded a coal-fired power station right after birth is also inaccurate.
On June 20, a proctor involved in the exam confirmed that the erroneous question did indeed appear in the history exam.
The proctor expressed disbelief at such a basic error, stating that their school had explicitly instructed all teachers not to discuss the matter publicly. Several parents of students who took the exam mentioned that after the test, the students were puzzled by the inaccuracies in the background information of the last major question which carried a weight of 14 points.
The official website of the Yunnan Provincial Admissions Examination Institute revealed that the exam subjects conducted on June 17 from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm were “Ethics and Law” and “History”.
This incident quickly ignited heated discussions on the internet.
Netizens commented that “The multiple basic errors in the history section of the Yunnan Provincial exam reveal serious negligence in the question-making review process.” Others questioned, “Aren’t these misleading questions harming young students? Who came up with these questions and who reviewed them?” Some remarked, “This is a major incident.”
One netizen pointed out the irony, saying, “The irony of this situation lies in the fact that this exam paper was on ‘history’, and it is becoming a ‘historical event’ recording a systemic failure in our era’s educational management.”
Identifying as a teacher from Hanjiang Vocational School, “Weiyang Scholar Weibo” stated, “One mistake leads to many, resulting in a history exam with three factual inaccuracies being administered on test day. Although these inaccuracies did not affect the students’ answers, the abundant factual errors in the history exam indicate a shocking level of carelessness and irresponsibility among the question-setting staff. It can be said, as long as at least one of the questioners, selectors, or subject hosts approached the task with a sense of responsibility towards millions of examinees and meticulously reviewed the questions, such basic errors would not have occurred.”
According to “New Yellow River”, on June 20, the Academic Proficiency Examination Office of the Yunnan Provincial Admissions Examination Institute responded that they were currently evaluating and handling the situation.