Alongside South Korea’s suneung, China’s Gaokao is regarded as one of the most intense university entrance exams anywhere. With staggering competition rates, it determines the fate of individuals for a lifetime. It’s considered an event of national importance.
Each year, around 10 million Chinese students take the university entrance exam, with three compulsory subjects: mathematics, Chinese language, and English. However, only 2% of them make it into the top 38 universities, and a mere 0.05% gain admission to Tsinghua University and Peking University. Some individuals spend their entire lives preparing for this exam, even attempting it 10 or 20 times without success.
TREMENDOUS PRESSURE
Before the most crucial exam of their lives, not only are the candidates anxious, but their parents are equally concerned. Chinese parents often promise to fulfill any wish of their child if they pass the exam. They visit temples to pray for their child’s luck, and they spare no expense on additional education, hiring tutors, etc. Unlike many other places, the Gaokao exam synthesizes three years’ worth of high school curriculum, forcing students to study day and night, sacrificing sleep, and sometimes even fainting from exhaustion. Moreover, they face pressure from peers, teachers, and society at large. Many resort to using tranquilizers to stay alert while studying at night, and female students even use contraceptive pills to delay their menstrual cycle on the day of the exam. Like in South Korea, Chinese parents are willing to spend whatever it takes to fulfill their child’s dream of undergoing cosmetic surgery. This might be the most significant and meaningful gift for these students.
MORE THAN A NATIONAL EVENT
Before the exam, all activities nationwide come to a halt. Construction projects are postponed, and traffic is diverted to avoid disturbances. Ambulances stand by outside exam halls in case candidates collapse from nervous tension. Police patrol to keep the streets quiet. Notably, any candidate caught cheating during the exam is listed as a criminal and could face up to 7 years in prison.
12 YEARS OF PREPARATION FOR JUST ONE DAY, ATMOSPHERE IN EXAM HALLS IS SUFFOCATING
Many individuals are aware of the exam’s importance and plan meticulously from primary school. They study relentlessly, sacrificing meals, sleep, and their childhood because they understand the crucial nature of this exam. The employment rate of top universities is extremely low, so simply passing the exam can turn their lives rosy in terms of career and marriage. Furthermore, they bring pride to their families, earning respect from friends and society.
Cameras monitor every move of the candidates. The extreme tension makes the exam hall eerily silent, leading some students to break down in tears or faint from exhaustion during the exam.
