gaokao

Across China, a Test of Futures: The 2024 Gaokao in Photos

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

A selection of photos from exam sites in Shanghai and across the country.

Wu Huiyuan 

The Re-examined Life: Retaking the Gaokao to Start Afresh

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Entrepreneurs and fresh graduates explain why they decided to retake China’s make-or-break university entrance exam years later in the hope of following their dreams.

Oh! Youth (36Kr)

Gaokao Gateway: How First Academic Degrees Shape Careers in China

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Despite government clarifications, emphasis on the prestige of first academic degrees over higher degrees remains a key factor in hiring. New reform proposals to shift this focus towards skills and experience have renewed the debate around the practice.

Li Xin

Ding Xiaoyan

Changing Course: Why More Chinese Students Are Eyeing Southeast Asia

Stricter visa rules, rising geopolitical tensions, and higher costs in the West, along with intense competition and pressure at home, are steering some Chinese students to Southeast Asia’s more welcoming shores.

Ding Rui

Beijing Youth Daily

Major Setbacks: Students Struggle with Scrapped Majors

Arriving on campus believing they were the next hotshots, students who see their majors being discontinued are instead feeling the chill for their job prospects.

The Paper

A Fictional University Takes China by Storm — One Meme at a Time

Over the course of just one week, Shanhe University, an imaginary institution born from online wisecracks, united students from four provinces.

Collage: A Month Behind Schedule, Shanghai Seniors Take the ‘Gaokao’

After months of chaos, the city’s students finally sit the most important test of their lives.

Anxiety Abounds as Shanghai ‘Gaokao’ Starts A Month Late 

The national college entrance exam was postponed amid the city’s COVID-19 outbreak.

Gu Peng

Fan Yiying

Hundreds of Chinese Students Take ‘Gaokao’ From Quarantine Sites

A record 11.9 million students are appearing for this year’s college entrance exam.

Zhang Wanqing

‘Gaokao’ 2021 in Photos 

A selection of photos from this year’s college entrance exams by Sixth Tone’s visual editors.

Shi Yangkun

Ding Yining

University Called Out for Typecasting Women in ‘Gaokao’ Campaign   

Nanjing University has deleted the photo series, including the image with a female student holding an innuendo-laden placard.

Du Xinyu

Huang Yujia

A Gaokao Expert Speaks: Scores Don’t Mean Security, Money Does

Disappointed with his job prospects after acing exams and nabbing an elite university degree, Liu Jiasen switched gears. He’s since found his calling, and a small fortune, in giving motivational speeches to students preparing for exams.

Li Yiming

Guangdong Students Take Crucial ‘Gaokao’ Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

A record 10.78 million high school students have appeared for this year’s college-entrance examinations, which determine their higher education goals.

Ni Dandan

After Shandong Scandal, Punishments Added for Test Score Theft

A revised law is aimed at stamping out cases of families exerting influence to obtain higher “gaokao” scores for their kids, allowing them to attend university under an assumed identity.

‘Gaokao’ Grader Disciplined for Publishing Student’s Exemplary Essay

Netizens are also questioning whether there may be a conflict of interest between Chen Jianxin’s dual roles as head grader and study guide author.

What Happens When the ‘Gaokao’ Rewards Who, Not What, You Know

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

The country’s college entrance exam offers a rare chance for millions to move up the social ladder. But not everyone starts on the same rung.

Hu Hanzhi

The Lasting Pain of China’s Identity Theft Victims

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

For nearly 20 years, Gou Jing believed someone had stolen the life she should have led. Now, an investigation has proved she was right.

A Time Capsule From ‘Gaokao’ Gone By

Ren Shulin remembers photographing the “gaokao” in the late 1970s and early 1980s, just after the daunting test was reinstated.

Ren Shulin

‘Gaokao’ 2020: The Rights and Wrongs of China’s Dreaded Exam

China’s college entrance exam is designed to give every student a fair and equal chance of success. But in 2020, some are more equal than others.