[Beijing Diary] The Worst Gaokao Is Coming

China's notorious university entrance exam, the 'Gaokao,' will be held from the 7th to the 9th of this month. There are already harsh evaluations predicting that this year will be the worst exam in history. Summarizing local public opinion and reports, the background is as follows.

First, the absolute number of test-takers has surged. According to a recent announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Education, this year's Gaokao candidates number 12.91 million, an increase of 980,000 from last year, marking the largest scale ever. This is equivalent to the entire population of Gyeonggi-do in South Korea (13.6 million) taking the exam at once. Since the number of admissions at each university has not changed significantly, competition for entry into major universities is expected to be fiercer than ever. It is also known that the number of repeat test-takers, who generally study more, exceeds 2 million.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Moreover, this year's candidates are students who have spent all three years of their 'Gaozhong' education?similar to South Korea's high school system?amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The pressure of zero-COVID policies has made them accustomed to online classes and learning, which has increased anxiety about the exam itself among students. Tsinghua University and Peking University, considered China's top prestigious universities, require applicants to rank within the top ten in their province to be admitted, so one can imagine the level of desire and tension toward this 'last ladder' for social mobility. In China, June, when the exam takes place, is even called 'Heiliuyue (黑六月, Dark June)'.

Since the beginning of this month, relevant authorities have been making a fuss about optimizing services for examinees. The National Meteorological Center, in cooperation with other agencies, has mentioned that it will closely analyze weather and natural disaster information on the exam days and prepare in advance. Announcements have also been made about strengthening security and noise control. However, the general reaction within China to this year's Gaokao news is one of 'regret.' Comments on related articles include remarks like "How many of them will become unemployed right after graduation?" and "They will have to work at construction sites after graduation."

As of April, China's youth unemployment rate (ages 16?24) stands at 20.4%, the highest ever recorded. Typically, China's youth unemployment rate gradually increases in the first half of the year due to summer graduations, peaks in July, and then decreases in August. The market expects these figures to worsen further until July.

An interesting fact is that even Chinese people facing this situation are astonished by South Korea's 'competition.' Journalists from local Chinese media often ask during interviews, "I've heard that competition in South Korea is extremely fierce," inquiring about the situation in our country. This is one of their common ice-breaking remarks. When I vaguely respond, "It seems that competition is fierce in both China and South Korea," I feel a complex mix of emotions. I want to introduce that South Korea has found various solutions that China could also refer to, but the reality is otherwise. The conversation usually ends with a bitter smile and a shared sigh.