Acting the part for fame and fortune

While many of the nation's students are busy preparing for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or the gaokao, which will start in June, there is another group of students growing anxious about their future scholastic plans. This group of students is busy preparing for their auditions, hoping to be admitted to one of China's drama or performing arts universities.

But as competition increases for admittance to these colleges, questions are circulating about what motivates these young people's interest in drama and the performing arts. Some argue that students maybe choosing these universities to get out of taking the nerve-ending, stress-inducing gaokao.

Other speculations are that students, increasingly obsessed with wealth and fame, are just hoping to strike it rich. You can't really blame them for their hopes and aspirations. China's entertainment market continues to grow, with billions of yuan being pumped into an industry feeding the insatiable entertainment appetites of more than 1 billion people.