Ready for the real world

June was a month of graduation ceremonies for most universities in China. Many also organized prom nights, a new trend in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Education, 6.99 million students graduate from universities in 2013 - 190,000 more than last year. Although 2013 is dubbed as the hardest job-hunting year for college graduates, it doesn't sway students' passion for the last highlight of college days - graduation ceremony. Besides formal and somewhat austere commencement ceremony and conferment of diplomas, an assortment of performances, ceremonies and farewell parties are staged on campus, rolled up into one super-charged day.

At Renmin University, a doctoral graduate dresses her child in a look-alike gown for the graduation photo. Kuang Linhua / China Daily

The university started the fun practice in 2006. Miao Jian / for China Daily