It’s a common stereotype peddled by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and others: Chinese people are good at math. Where does this reputation come from? Is it more than just an impression? In this episode of “Why Chinese,” we dive into the stereotype of Chinese people’s math prowess and also meet some math prodigies in Hong Kong.

This is “Why Chinese,” a series where we’re debunking common stereotypes about Chinese people one Google search at a time.

0:00 Math quiz
3:08 It’s part of the culture
5:32 Meet the math whizzes
7:42 An obsession with tests
9:12 The Chinese language is better for math
10:34 Learning Chinese trains your memory

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Producer: Jessica Novia
Editor: Hanley Chu
Animation: Ray Ngan and Cyan Cheung
Mastering: Joel Roche

Music: Audio Network