Premier Li and Beijing University students.[Photo/People's Daily Online]

"Your topic is too broad," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said to a Peking University student upon learning that his thesis title was "The Role of General Transfer Payments in Local Public Spending." Premier Li suggested that the student choose a narrower topic.

Li chatted with students in the university's cafeteria about a number of subjects, including food prices at the canteen, student grants and oil production.

"Great undertakings have small beginnings," Premier Li told the students. "It is like the food we eat; whether a dish is good or bad comes down to the details."

Recalling his own time at Peking University, Li, who graduated from here, said his economics professor's doctoral dissertation was a study of the financial situation of one fiscal year in one district of a city.

"The professor had a lot of very detailed research, including a wealth of information that few people had paid attention to. He even conducted a household survey," Li said to the students. "After working hard to analyze the financial situation of the district, he discovered some problems that really provoked him to think," added Li.

"With regards to [the thesis topic], since you do not know all the basic information, how will you conduct research and come up with an innovative perspective?” Li asked the student. “This reflects the current problem with education," Li continued. He believes many students' thesis and dissertation topics are too broad, which makes true innovation difficult.

Li suggested that the student closely examine the annual financial data of a specific county before continuing with other research.