China's National College Entrance Exam 高考

This week is China's annual national college entrance exam, known less-than-affectionately as the "gao kao." The gao kao is the only way for most students to get into university.

The gao kao would be just another rite of passage, if it weren't for the shortage of slots at universities. According to the Ministry of Education, 5.67 million students will be able to enroll in college this fall, but over 10 million have registered for the exam. Chinese people describe the gao kao as 千军万马过独木桥 "a thousand soldiers and 10,000 horses crossing single plank bridge."

Moreover, not all of the available university slots are equal. This year's college graduates faced a serious job shortage, with many taking menial jobs just to have some income, so a degree from one of the higher-ranked universities is an essential asset in the intense competition for good jobs. It's true that the Chinese economy is growing wildly, but 1.3 billion is an awfully large population to employ, and many of the available jobs are for skilled laborers, not educated intellectuals, in the construction or manufacturing sectors.

Adding to the pressure on this weeks test takers is the fact that they are mostly only-children, and they have both a cultural and a legal responsibility to provide financially for both their parents in the future. Their performance on this week's test will determine not only which university their attend, but also to some extent which major they will be allowed to study, and thus their future profession. Rural families are known to give up their farming, home, and income to move to cities where, due to the quirks of the test system, their child will be able to get into a university with a lower score than those who attend high school in the village.

For a more complete picture of how intense the pressure these high school students face, and the ferocious tempest of parental angst that swirls around them, check out this sampling of articles in the last month alone:

June 5: Stressed Parents Drug Kids for Exam - Some stressed out parents in Shanghai have been searching for a prescription stimulant to give their children ahead of this week's national college exams, according to the Beijing News. Pushy parents and grandparents are as anxious as the youngsters about the highly competitive exam, and would buy whatever tonics and drugs were promoted on TV or recommended by friends. They were also booking quiet but expensive hotel rooms near examination halls.

June 1: Police Seize Cheating Devices Before Exam - A market inspector shows a purse-like electronic device made for cheating ahead of the national college entrance exam in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, May 31, 2007. Police raided a shop and confiscated a large number of cheating devices.

May 30: Worried Parents Told to Relax - An event held last weekend that was designed to provide free psychological counseling for students ahead of their college entrance exams ended up attracting more parents than teenagers. One father said, "I would wake up suddenly in the night, thinking that my son was going to fail his exam; then I would not be able to get back to sleep."

May 29: China Establishes "Credibility Record" to Combat Exam Fraud - Cases of cheating in national educational tests, including the College Entrance Examination and postgraduate recruitment exams, would be entered on the record. The record, expected to be available online, would be open to higher educational institutions and employers for reference.

May 10: Maids Sought for Exam Season - Demand for specialized ayi, or domestic helpers, trained in nutrition and student psychology and skilled at cooking, is growing as the entrance examinations for universities and senior high-schools draw near.

This last one is a bit older, but illustrative.
Apr 19: Leak of College Entrance Exam Paper "Impossible" - The people who design the college entrance exam papers are "confined" in certain places during the exam conception phase and hand over their mobile phones and computers during the process. After the exam papers have been written, the exam designers are "confined" for a further 30 to 40 days for the sake of confidentiality.

Harmonious Society's Harmonious Exercise

Like the US and much of the West, China is facing a growing - literally - problem with juvenile obesity. China's modern, only children are less active and better-fed than previous generations, and the looming specter of the 高考 "gaokao", the ridiculously intense college selection exam, ties many to their desk studying late into the night, with no time for recreational exercise.

A recent study by the Chinese Youth and Children's Research Center found that Chinese children spend an average of 8.6 hours per day at school, with some spending 12 hours per day in the classroom. After school and on weekends, most students - at all ages, not just those preparing for the gaokao - attend additional tutoring or "cram school" classes, and this does not include extracurricular activities such as music. They have very little time for free play and exercise, and 60% of respondents claimed they didn't even have any playmates.

The Ministry of Education has announced a solution: mandatory dancing. Elementary and secondary school students will be required, during their break periods or extra-curricular times, to practice specific 4-5 minute dances developed by the government specifically for this purpose. There are different dances for different ages, and the whole set of dances will be revised every two years. And of course, the teachers must learn the dances as well.

I wonder, considering the Ministry itself cites excessive homework and a shortage of time as reasons for children's failure to exercise, is forcing them to use their free time to do an activity many won't like really the best way to encourage good habits?

MiaoFeng Mountain 妙峰山

Over the last week or so, Beijing has been blessed with a string of warm, sunny, clear-for-Beijing blue sky days. Sunday was one of those amazing days, so Brendon, Ally, and I headed out to find a reported hiking spot at MiaoFeng Shan. At 1291 meters, it is the nearest 1000-meter + mountain to Beijing. I have since learned the area is known for rose bushes and a temple at the top of the mountain.

At the last stop on the subway line, "Apple Park," we found neither anything resembling and apple nor a park, but there were plenty of ruddy-faced drivers with dodgy little mini-vans eager to take us for a ride. When they told us there was no bus to our destination, we figured they were just trying to trick us into accepting their services, but after about 25 minutes of waiting, some Chinese students confirmed we really did have no choice but to hire a driver.

We hopped into the rattling silver "bread van" of a guy who didn't harass us too much but confidently proclaimed he knew where to take us to climb the mountain at MiaoFeng Shan. The scenery was pretty along the way - although the roses weren't in bloom, the hills were covered in new blossoms of some light lavender-colored flowers - but we were surprised the driver took us to the top of the mountain to begin our "climb."

When we arrived, we found the peak of MiaoFeng Shan has suffered what seems to be the fate of all Chinese scenic spots: a gate, a parking lot, a hefty 30-RMB ($3.75) entrance fee, a bunch of hawkers selling incense sticks, and a loudspeaker. Brendon observed that modern China seems to believe anything and everything can be improved by paving.

The driver was bewildered when we turned our backs on the park and struck off toward a path on the untamed slope of another peak. A few moments of explaining that we didn't come to take our picture in front of the sign on the top of the mountain, but rather to exercise and enjoy the fresh air didn't seem to clear anything up for him, until another Chinese driver in the parking lot said the magic sentence, "Foreigners are like that." Ah. Of course.

In fact, the path we found had also fairly recently been paved, we think to bring equipment to a small construction project we saw at the top. There weren't many people around, however, and the view was wonderful, so we had a really good walk.

At the top of our peak, we ran into a young Chinese group hiking with huge backpacks. They told us they were only walking for a day, but they were carrying the large packs because they were "in training." One of my Chinese teachers explained it was probably military training: first-year university students all participate in one month of compulsory military training. My teacher remembered the training was basically all physical training, without a classroom or political component. After Tiananmen Square, the requirement was one full year of military training, but it has since been reduced to one month. The purpose of the program seems to be to promote patriotism, self-discipline, and defense education. A 2005 survey by the China Youth Daily reported 69% percent of students described it as a "worthy and unforgettable experience," while 20% described it as "useless, boring, and meaningless."

We didn't take many pictures, but you can follow the link below for a few. This one shows me with the patriotic and self-disciplined Brendon Schvetz.

4/22 Miao Feng Shan Hiking