BEIJING: From supportive parents dressed in the lucky color red to sporting legends offering their well wishes, the nationwide college entrance exam got underway on Wednesday with a record number of participants taking the test.
Such is the importance of the entrance exam, or gaokao, in shaping the futures and careers of candidates that family, friends, teachers and fellow students lined the entrances of some examination venues to urge the participants on.
In Jinan, Shandong province, a male senior high student surnamed Li wore a qipao — a traditional Chinese dress considered auspicious — to cheer on his peers. Li, who has already been recommended for admission to Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong province, didn’t need to take the entrance exam this year.
He said the qipao was his mother’s, and she had intended to wear it for his gaokao. Li said while he felt a “little bit shy” wearing the dress he wanted to pass on his well wishes and good luck to his classmates.
Many tertiary institutions across China, including Tsinghua University and Renmin University of China, also sent their well wishes and greetings to the candidates via Sina Weibo.
The fame of the gaokao, considered one of the toughest college entrance exams in world, also drew the attention of English soccer great David Beckham. He posted a video on social media recently, saying that he knows the gaokao is very important for every Chinese student, and urged all the participants success with a cry of “Come on!” in Chinese.
The examination this year is the first since China optimized its COVID-19 response measures. A record 12.91 million examinees have signed up to participate in the gaokao this year, a year-on-year increase of 980,000, according to the Ministry of Education. It will last between two and four days, depending on the location. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
