RTCPODS - China English Podcast Hub

We're right smack dab in the middle of Gao Kao season. When cities quiet down, families hold their breath, and over 13 million students give it their all. The Gao Kao, or China's national college entrance examination, is one of the most important milestones in a student's life. So what's new this year? From exam reforms to 29 brand new college programs, there's plenty to watch. Good luck to all exam takers, we're rooting for you. Coming to you live from Beijing, this is Roundtable. I'm He Yang. For today's program, I'm joined by our very own Steve Hatherly and Yang Wang, a one-scow Kao exam taker, now our sharp-eyed sports correspondent, first on today's show. As 13.35 million students across China tackle the national college entrance examination, also known as the Gao Kao this week, the pressure, the hopes, and the dreams feel more real than ever. For Chinese people, it's more than a test, it's a rite of passage. And just as the exams evolve, so do the choices after them. So how do you make sense of it all? Please bring us up to speed on this year's Gao Kao. Right, the exam kicked off on June 7th this year and finishes on June 9th or 10th in most regions. It's one of the most important exams for Chinese students. The schools will largely determine which university they will attend and by consequence shape their future careers. There are a few things about Gao Kao, I think you need to know. The Gao Kao China's national college entrance examination has been seen for many years as make or break event for millions of students, because the highly competitive and intensive test will largely determine their futures. And the exam caps, 12 years of intensive study from primary level to high school. For this Gao Kao exam, you need to bring your ID card, admission ticket, pencil, eraser, pen, ruler, a pair of compasses, as well as protective tools like masks, gloves, tissues and other few things. Your best good luck charm should be in your pocket as well. The Gao Kao, I remember when I was doing my show in Seoul and I did a segment on the most difficult tests in the world. And it was at that time, many years ago, I was unfamiliar with anything about Chinese culture, but it was at that time that I learned that the Gao Kao is considered to be by many, many media outlets from around the world, the top number one most difficult test on this planet. Oh, yes. And the I don't know if you feel the intensity in the air, Steve, because this is the main event for these usually four days. And I as a Beijing resident have received my yearly update through text messaging and even through WeChat, maybe for some people, telling you, OK, certain parts of the city is going to be congested. There are going to be momentary traffic rules that you need to abide by and your phone signals could go a little bit slower if you're near an examination test center. And these are usually just schools. And also I got this very useful tip, which well, not really for me, but for test takers that apparently there are some really there are some schools in our city that have very similar names to each other. So test takers and mom and dad, please make sure that you're taking your young adult child to the right place. For example, there's the use high and there's the usual. There's like just a one character difference. And then there's like the shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes, and there's the shoes, shoes or something like that. So there's like the number 11 school and number 11 school. So it would be easy to make a mistake. Yes. And also you can sort of feel the tension sort of build up. And as a non-Gao cow test taker, I'm so happy that I've grown up by now, but you're rooting for them. You're wishing them the best of luck because the pressure is really on. And in recent years, especially this year, we've seen that there are some changes to the Gao cow in terms of how it's being organized, the examination papers from place to place. And what are some of the main things that you would like to highlight to us? Yeah, this year, eight more provincial level regions implemented Gao cow reform, which I really like. Under the reform, a candidate must take three nationally standardized subjects, Chinese mathematics and a foreign language, along with one primary elective subject, either physics or history, and two additional electives selected from chemistry, geography, political science and biology. Because back to my Gao cow time, I have two parts. One is science and the other is art. Most boys would choose science, which contains physics, biology and chemistry. And I chose science as most boys would. But I'm also found with, you know, history and geography. But I'm fixed with the other three subjects. And I did quite not well in Gao cow. I could be offered an alternative path, but with a fixed system, science or art, I had to take the other three courses. I mean, this fixed system may limit the student's potential in certain areas. I mean, Leonardo da Vinci was a very great artist, but he was also good at physics. He invented many machine center weapons. So I mean, this new reform of Gao cow, which allows you to choose different subjects, very flexible, really has provided students with greater flexibility in subject selection and really aims to place more emphasis on students' individuality and personal interests while establishing a more comprehensive and, I mean, sophisticated and multidimensional evaluation system. I think I understand what you mean at your time of taking the Gao cow. But flexibility didn't exist. So you were not forced to, but maybe you felt like you had to take subjects that you weren't necessarily so comfortable with and not able to take ones where you thought, oh, this is where my real skills lie. So now with this reform, students can say, okay, I know where my strengths are. I know where my interests are, and I'm going to focus my test taking on those interests. Yeah, that just makes so much more sense. And you referred to sort of the Renaissance man, which people could argue that does not exist in the modern day contemporary educational system anyway, but that's for a discussion of a different day. But for Chinese test takers, now at least you get to break the boundaries of science versus humanities and arts a little bit. And that just, the freedom of choice is so important for people. I'm sure there are a bunch of tests, a lot of test takers whose score would be a bit higher thanks to this. And you shouldn't be forced to choose when you're only 17 or 18, whether you're a science or arts and humanities person anyway. So this is very welcome change. And also we see some universities expand enrollment, and this is great, right? Let's say originally there were only a hundred people being admitted. Now we're looking at 120. So greater chance for people to get it. Yep. We're talking about Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai's, Jiaotong University, the additional spots, which could range from dozens up to several hundred. I think it's different depending on the school. Those are primarily concentrated in your fundamental disciplines like mathematics or physics or chemistry, but they also have strategic and cutting edge fields involved in that as well. So yeah, more spots for students in different fields, which is also a good thing. Yes. And let's now take a look at how the Gao Kao is conducted. What are the measures that have been taken to make sure that the Gao Kao goes as smoothly and fairly as possible? Yeah, according to another China Daily report, many cities have postponed performances and entertainment events originally scheduled during the exam period to create a quiet and comfortable environment for the candidates preparing for Gao Kao. For example, the Anhui Huan Mei Opera Theatre in Anhui Province has suspended performances from June 6th to 9th to give away for Gao Kao. And in Dongguangguan Province, the concert of Hong Kong singer Jackie Chan originally scheduled from June 6th to 8th was postponed to late August. Meanwhile, many cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, they have issued official notices to suspend nighttime construction activities during the Gao Kao preparation and exam period to prevent noise disturbance. And all noise generating activities including construction, interior renovation, the use of loudspeakers or other high volume audio equipment, vehicle honking, and fireworks are prohibited near exam sites in urban areas. Oh wow, even interior renovation, so if you're planning on redoing your kitchen or something, I guess you're going to have to wait until the Gao Kao is over. I find that interesting. And also vehicle honking in the areas where exam sites are, that's a no-no as well. So all of these things are meant to just keep noise levels at levels where the students will not be distracted by that. Oh, that's good to know. And also there are other assistance measures apparently given for test takers and some things I just feel really the attention to care is immense. It's like they're taking every step they possibly can. In Xi'an, in Jiangji Province authorities, they conducted comprehensive inspections of hotels and restaurants and other food providers, this is around exam venues, to identify and eliminate potential food safety risks. That is being very, very careful, but I get it, right? Because in the areas around where students are going to be taking the exams, those are the areas where students will be eating. So you don't want to get some kind of food poisoning or some kind of sickness from a local restaurant or something like that. So it's just another step that officials take to make sure they're doing everything they possibly can to ensure the students have the best environment possible for them. Yeah, I had a stomach bug back in my go-go time when I took physics. It was terrible. Did you eat something that's too rich, that's too nutritious to give your performance, intended to give your performance a boost? Or did you just eat regular stuff? I ate regular stuff, but at the wrong time, I usually got up like seven o'clock. That day, I was so anxious and I ate my breakfast like six, something like that. So it really affected my school, I think. Yeah, well, see, just a quick disclaimer here and just quick reflection here, despite those things that Yung Won just shared with us, having that unfortunate stomach bug and saying that he didn't do particularly well in his go-go, but look at where you are now. See, everything's, shall I say, great for you. I mean, it also shows that the exam is just an exam, even if it didn't go exactly the way you wanted it to be. And one thing I see every year during Gao Kao is the transportation assistance, or it often makes news. You are always going to get one exam taker who somehow forgot to bring his or her ID. And then have to go back. So they're doing what they can in different regions around the country. So here's a good example. The taxi industry in Xi'an, they have mobilized 41,000 taxis and ride-hailing vehicles to provide free rides for Gao Kao candidates. In Haiku, in Hainan Province, more than 1,500 buses are deployed across the city, allowing candidates to travel, again, free of charge, using their exam admission tickets as kind of proof of what they'll be doing later on. And that gets them their free rides. Again, back to the point, just everything they can possibly do to make sure that the students... This is about making sure that the students get to the destination, though. Nothing to do with the actual taking of the test itself. Yes. And also, one thing I find to be promising about this year's Gao Kao is one thing that's probably worth our attention, that Braille exam papers have been in place, distributed to those who need it. Yeah. They've been specially prepared for 16 visually impaired candidates in 12 provinces. And not only that, more than 14,000 candidates with disabilities, they receive appropriate support during the exam as well. 16 might sound like a very small number, but this also shows that the Gao Kao is very difficult to take, first of all. And not everybody's going through the higher education route. Some would go for vocational school. But also, I think this somehow might show that for those who are visually impaired or somehow living with some kind of disability, being able to be schooled to this level and attend this very competitive examination might still be beyond the reach for a lot of people. So that's definitely something I think is worth society's attention a bit more. And also, we've seen that the application after the Gao Kao is definitely a big deal. There are tutoring services that give you the so-called professional consultation when it comes to the application. What do we know about that aspect of things? Right. After Gao Kao, students usually can check their schools in late June. Then they can start to apply for universities and majors. At present, many privacy centers have released information on application simulation or consulting services. For example, Shandong privacy will organize an application simulation exercise from June 13-16. Shanxi, which has implemented the new Gao Kao mechanism for the first time this year, will hold an application consultation activity in Xi'an. After this month, inviting multiple universities across the country to have face-to-face exchanges with Shanxi candidates and parents, providing this one-stop consultation services for candidates. Is this more about, from the university side, a mini-recruitment opportunity for potential students? Or is this done so that students are completely aware of the steps that they need to take for their university applications once their results come out? From my perspective, there's a gap between Gao Kao and truly going to university. Before Gao Kao, what students learn from courses are just physics, chemistry, biology. Universities offer so many majors that I think some of them have never heard of before. So there's a gap, so this is where the consultation services come in to help students understand which majors you can choose based on what you are interested in or what you are good at with. And also, enrollment ratio is something that possibly those consultants who study this field would know better because if you're just an average student with your parents, you don't look at this stuff in terms of stats and other data often and you don't really follow the chart. But these guys supposedly know better and they'll tell you, with your situation, what are the biggest chances that you can get admitted to such and such major in such and such school? And also, this can be very confusing because do you choose the better, more well-known popular major in a lesser well-known school or a really famous school but not a very popular major? There are just so many moving pieces in this decision. It's great if there's someone you can trust who can provide this information, but there are some traps out there too. And some of these services aren't as professional as they claim to be, and that could be a headache for people. And also, we talk about mental health on our show from time to time. It's such an important part of our lives and it doesn't get enough attention. And the gow-kow is being seen as possibly the most stressful period for a young person up till now. And what do we know about maintaining their mental health? Yeah, there was a report from CCTV News not so long ago talking about Beijing launching a Candidate Psychological Counseling Hotline, which is 1-2-3-5-5-6 on May 26 of this year. That's when that was launched. So from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, the service will continue up until the second day of July. This isn't new. This was first launched back in 2023. So there's that. And also now 110 certified professional psychological counselors are participating in this volunteer service. And as of June 8, the year's hotline has received about almost 200 calls, 199 calls, and the duration has been quite extensive, about 4,000 minutes with all of those calls combined. I don't think that's the average for one phone call. Among those calls, parents account for 60%, students account for the other 40%, and their questions are related to the college entrance examination. Those account for 65% of the questions, and then the rest being related to junior high school entrance examination. 60% of the calls are related to anxiety, including poor scores, high demands from parents, and heavy academic tasks. I think this is just such a wonderful thing to have in place for the parents, of course. They can have their questions answered. But for the students, back to the point that the Gaokao is considered to be one of the most difficult tests in the world, and these tests are being taken by young people who have a tremendous amount of pressure on them to perform well. So oftentimes, I would assume that these young people in the period building up to the test, maybe they don't have a place to outlet their anxiety or their concerns, their stresses. Maybe they do, and that's great. But if they don't, then this kind of service exists, and it's just lovely to know that that level of concern is taken too. Yeah. Yeah. Anxiety, I think, is normal before every exam. When we look back now at the Gaokao examination, I think it's just the one step in one's lifetime that not necessarily determines what your future would be. So I think for students, of course, at the stage of their personal life right now, I think Gaokao would, of course, generate anxiety, but it's totally okay to reach out for help. Yeah, 100%. And you can make that comment about, you know, this is just a test, this isn't going to determine the rest of your life, but you have the advantage of hindsight, right? The students don't have that advantage, so they're probably, yeah, any test you're right will induce anxiety, but this is the biggest test they will have taken in their lives to this point. No doubt about that. And guess what? There's going to be more challenges in life. Yeah. Guess what, students? This isn't the last one. More ones to come, but now at least you have your support of the parents as loving and clumsy as they can be, but now when I look back, I think that was all a very sweet burden, if I can call it that way. And before the examination kicked off on June the 7th, China's Ministry of Education introduced 29 new majors to advanced education institutions. More majors, more choices, but possibly more confusion. How do students and parents make sense of, you know, these application choices? Well, this year, China's college admissions introduced 29 new undergraduate majors across fields such as artificial intelligence, carbon neutrality, and digital governance. According to the Ministry of Education, these new programs are designed to align with national strategic priorities, market demands, and technological advancements. Well, among the new additions, serving strategic areas of national interest are majors such as marine science and technology as well as health and medical security. This is definitely in line with China's target of being a technologically strong nation among global environments. There's other majors that were introduced, smart molecular engineering, medical device and equipment engineering, spatio-temporal information engineering have been included. I'm just so happy that the media exists because I don't see myself performing well in smart molecular engineering or medical device and equipment engineering. So there's those ones as well. Also to cater to emerging market trends, there's now majors like, and we talked about this one on Roundtable before, international cruise management. That sounds like a lot of fun. And also aviation sports, which I think is a really cool thing too. You know, when we talked about the fact that there are all these possibilities for students out there in terms of these majors and now even more majors to choose from, it's got to be a really incredibly exciting time for students. This window after the Gaokao is finished, you know, what's next? Okay, what am I going to study? But also the pressure of what am I going to study? Right? So it's a relatively short period of time to make that decision, but also a really exciting time too, I think. Yeah, just imagine being a young person when your life is a clean slate pretty much, and it's up to you to however write and paint your future. And that is something that I no longer have anymore, but I've built up my life pretty steadily to a certain height. I like to console myself. And so to everyone out there setting the Gaokao this week, you are more than your score. If you do well, celebrate. You earned it. If it doesn't go your way, don't lose heart. Life has a funny way of rewarding us in unexpected chapters. Because in the end, it's not about where Gaokao takes you. It's about the person you become along the way. Stronger, clearer, braver, I wish for you.