Symbol of grit and hope are these quake pupils

NINGQIANG, Shaanxi: Shi Lu has braved a number of aftershocks to take her National College Entrance Exams in Ningqiang county of Shaanxi province.

Though the May 12 earthquake devastated Sichuan province, it caused damage in Shaanxi too. And aftershocks have rocked that province since then, sending shivers down residents' spine.

It's under such circumstances that Shi and 1,920 other middle school graduates wrote the tests in 70 makeshift centers yesterday and on Saturday.