The rote to overnight success

"An unknown scholar working hard for 10 years becomes a celebrity the moment he passes the imperial examination" - it is a Chinese saying that can still be said to ring true today.

The imperial examination, or Keju, first adopted in the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) and lasting through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was an exam system through which officials were tested and selected.

Now, there is still a way for students to turn famous overnight - by becoming zhuangyuan, or top scorers of the national college entrance examination that is held from June 7 to 9 every year.