[2] The book was a bestseller in mainland China and made both Harvard and Liu Yiting household names among Chinese parents and students.

They also had her participate in "character-building" physical exercises such as swimming, jumping rope, and holding ice in her hands for extended periods of time.

[5] While in high school, Liu met then Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Larry L. Simms, a Dartmouth and BU Law alumnus and former U.S. Navy Lieutenant who clerked for Supreme Court justice Byron White and worked as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1975 to 1985.

[5] One major element of the child-rearing strategy described in the book was treating Liu as an adult and "encourag[ing] her to develop a mature style of thinking".

[6] The book also includes supplementary chapters on topics such as how to select which schools to apply to, and advice for students on filling out applications and taking TOEFL and SAT exams.

[6] The book was at the top of China's bestseller list for 16 months,[10] during which time it sold at least 1.5 million copies[note 1] and the writers were estimated to have earned at least the equivalent of $100,000 in royalties.

[3] The popularity of Harvard Girl made Liu a "national superstar"[3] and she frequently received fan mail and drew large crowds at book signings in mainland China.

[7] Comparable books have also been published in South Korea, although American undergraduate universities are not "revered" in the same way there as they are in mainland China.

It made Harvard a household name in China, and books of this genre caused a significant increase in the number of Chinese applicants to top-tier American universities.

[3] The book has been criticized for increasing the pressure many Chinese students already had to succeed in school, and for taking advantage of the widespread belief that admission into leading universities is necessary for success in life.