The true face of China's education is shrouded in mystery. But the one certainty is that our heads should not be turned by the good results our teenagers collected from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The program, administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, found that Chinese teenagers were rather in advance of their peers from 64 countries and regions in terms of reading literacy, mathematics and science.

Our high-school students deliver good scores at International Olympiads, which are held every year in math, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and junior science. Nearly every Chinese student participating in the competitions brings home a medal.

But we should not become complacent. The mixed results from the tests, competitions and surveys all over the world remind us of the flaws in our education system.

However, the fulsome compliments for Chinese students' high grades are not necessarily justification that we can glory in our education.

A global survey of teenagers worldwide in November ranked Chinese students at the bottom when it comes to applying creativity and imagination.

The results of both the program and survey reflect the true qualities of our teenage students and the nation's education.