I just want to second a previous comment on the claim that the film was "based on a true event". In my opinion, the film should certainly change their claim so that the audience know it is NOT (actually far from) a narrative of the true event.
In the true event, the student, Gang Lu, was far from a naive victim whose dream was shattered by academic politics and cultural difference as portrayed by the film, but rather a self-promoting and selfish psycho who couldn't tolerate the fact that another fellow student was better than him. If you are interested, the following links give more details.
Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_Lu
If you can read Chinese, this link provides much more details, even including Gang's final letter to his sister, the person he felt the closest: http://history.163.com/07/0417/10/3C98P6TC00011248.html
In the true event, the student, Gang Lu, was far from a naive victim whose dream was shattered by academic politics and cultural difference as portrayed by the film, but rather a self-promoting and selfish psycho who couldn't tolerate the fact that another fellow student was better than him. If you are interested, the following links give more details.
Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_Lu
If you can read Chinese, this link provides much more details, even including Gang's final letter to his sister, the person he felt the closest: http://history.163.com/07/0417/10/3C98P6TC00011248.html