Membership applications are currently rising. Before 2011, when candidates could take the entry test in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, only around 50 people applied nationwide each month. However, since then the number has risen to 80 or more across all the testing centers.

Currently, the test can be taken in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, and Nanchang, in Jiangxi province.

At present, Mensa China remains at the fledging stage and runs no special programs, other than general meetings, according to Yang.

Worldwide, Mensa national groups are usually registered as NGOs in their respective countries, but in China the group remains unregistered because of difficulties in gaining NGO status.

People join for a variety of reasons. Some apply simply to see if they can pass the entry exam; others want to meet new friends, unearth business opportunities or simply show off.

High-profile members

Although the society has a number of world-famous members, such as actors Geena Davis, Goldie Hawn and comedian Steve Martin, Yang is undoubtedly the highest-profile Chinese member.

She became one of the first Chinese to join the society when she passed the exam in 2007, and the following year she was elected chair of Mensa China, which has nearly 250 members.

She conceded that it is not an easy task to provide leadership to such smart people. "Each has his or her own strongly held opinions, so compromise is often not an option," she explained.

As chair, her role is to supervise and coordinate entry tests on the Chinese mainland, liaise with the media and Mensa's headquarters in the UK, send out membership cards and gifts, and organize meetings and activities.

Compared with the society's membership in other countries, Chinese members are likely to be much younger. They mainly come from the post-1980s generation, are well educated and most are unmarried.

They are smart, but ordinary people who tend to be more humorous, rational and logical than others, said Yang, who added that the occupations of Chinese members are widely diverse, ranging from lawyers to the self-employed.

Many members share common character traits, such as the ability to learn quickly, a tendency toward laziness and are easily bored, she said.

In many ways, Yang is representative of her members: Although she didn't study hard at school, she was always able to excel effortlessly in events such as International Physics Olympiads. After high school she was only able to gain entry to an average university in her hometown.

However, none of that hampered her later success, albeit success of an unconventional kind.