Days of destiny
It's a couple of days they spend months preparing for, and when it finally comes, the 9.42 million Chinese students who sit the national college entrance exam, which is held on June 7-8, do so bolstered by the support of family and friends.
Come hail, rain or shine, the students' most stalwart supporters, their parents, will be on hand as their children embark on a mission whose success or failure could influence the rest of their lives.
For many of these parents, letting go is hard to do, and for hours they will remain at the gates of test centers, cheek by jowl with other parents, until their children finally emerge with their battle stories.
To sustain their children, many in the battalion of supporters will have brought along food and drink that will be used to refuel the students and their brain cells between tests. And just in case an extra dose of moral support is required, the family pet may even be brought into the proceedings.
Someparents,especiallyinbigcities, rent hotel rooms near test centers to spare their children the trouble of commuting and to give them a comfortable break between tests.
Some move into hotels many days in advance, even consulting nutritionists to ensure their children will be in tip-top physical condition.
| In Lu'an, Anhui province, relatives see off students on buses heading to exam centers. Ai Lan / For China Daily |
| A mother imparts her best wishes as her daughter enters the exam room in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Wang Jianzhong / For China Daily |
| In Chengdu, Sichuan province, a parent brought along a pet dog to cheer her daughter. Wu Xiaochuan / For China Daily |
| Security at the entrance of a test center in Zigui, Hubei province. Sanxia Yu / For China Daily |
| In Xi'an, Shaanxi province, parents wait anxiously as the exam reaches its conclusion. Yuan Jingzhi / For China Daily |
| In Huaxian county, Henan province, a parent beckons his child coming out of a test center. Wang Zirui / For China Daily |
(China Daily European Weekly 06/19/2015 page4)
