A testing time

With China's college entrance exam proving to be a watershed in his own life, Huang Lei examines how gaokao can strain, and strengthen, familial bonds in his latest TV drama, Xu Fan reports.

At 18 years old, after concluding gaokao - China's college entrance exams - Huang Lei was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy.

While he was there, he was lucky enough to be offered a lead role in the art house film Life on A String by renowned director Chen Kaige, which was due to be shot in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.