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For nearly 13 million Chinese students, the entrance exam for university studies started on Wednesday. According to state media, it is the “toughest in the world” of its kind.
The so-called gaokao enables the rise of the country’s educated elite and largely determines working life. Every year, hard work is done on the tests, which can sometimes take up to four days, to prevent candidates from cheating.
Liang Shi is also one of the candidates: the 56-year-old is trying for the 27th time. He doesn’t necessarily need a degree. Because: he is a self-made millionaire. His career started in a factory and now he runs his own building materials company. Still, he tells AFP news agency: “It’s an uncomfortable thought that I never made it to university. I really want to go to university and become an intellectual.” He would like to study in the renowned Sichuan University.
“I lived like a monk in a monastery”
The successful entrepreneur first tried his luck in 1983 when he was 16 years old. In the next 10 years he failed again and again. In 1992, he finally gave up because the test was restricted to people under the age of 25.
His son, on the other hand, passed the exam in 2011. That same year, the age limit was also lifted. Since then, the millionaire has tried his luck every year. Shi’s son is not thrilled about it: “At first he didn’t really agree, but now he doesn’t care.”
Still, Shi remains confident. He is sure: this time it will work. Because he has been learning intensively every day for the past 12 months. “I lived like a monk in a monastery,” says Shi. He also stopped drinking and playing Mahjong, a game popular in China. But if he actually succeeds, that’s exactly what he wants to do: “I play mahjong with my friends for three days and three nights!” (AFP/Madam)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
