content: It's rote, not wrote. You're not going to be solving anything without a firm grasp on math and science. And higher math assumes an intuitive level understanding of lower level math. The way you build mental intution is the same way you build physical intuition. Practice and repetition. And in general it's absolutely critical for people of all ages to constantly exercise their brain. Solving arithmetic does just that. Now to a degree I do agree with you. I don't think China's system is ideal in any way, but there's a spectrum here. The optimal result is going to fall on a bell curve with China on one end to the direction that US is headed on the other end. Ultimately technical competence and creativity need to go hand in hand. When they do you get things like Einstein who was not only technically very sharp but unbelievably creative as well. Ultimately apologizing for technical incompetence or enabling it is a great way to help greatly increase the chances of somebody ending up a wasted life.