Practical focus on prototypes, not paper writing

Last month, Zheng Hehui, an engineering doctoral candidate at Southeast University in Nanjing, stood before a panel to defend his doctorate. Instead of presenting a traditional thesis, Zheng showcased a set of Legolike blocks of reinforced steel that snap together to support a bridge pylon. The committee granted him a PhD anyway.

Zheng is not an anomaly. He is the product of a new policy in China.