History in the making: the Classes of 1977, 1978 and 1979

In the history of the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, the Classes of 1977, 1978 and 1979 were part of an important milestone.

Premier Li Keqiang, late novelist Wang Xiaobo, renowned director Zhang Yimou and many other luminaries in various fields all sat for the exam in one of those three years, before being accepted by universities and making their mark on the world.

Official figures showed that 5.7 million candidates signed up for the gaokao in 1977 and only 272,971 were admitted. That meant that the admission rate was as low as a record 4.78 percent.