Testing time: Four gaokao vignettes

Some interesting and touching incidents took place in and out of examination halls as the national college entrance exam unfolded on Tuesday and Wednesday, Zhao Xinying reports.

'Regards from the whole universe'

Physicist Stephen Hawking cheered on Chinese gaokao test takers by posting on Weibo, a major micro blog platform in China.

"As many of you prepare to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, I want to wish you, the next generation of scientific minds, success in your academic endeavors. This culmination of your hard work marks just the beginning of your very bright futures," he said in a post on Monday.

The post won more than 420,000 "likes" from followers, with one netizen leaving a comment saying, "It's like receiving regards from the whole universe".

One-person examination hall

A gaokao test taker in East China's Anhui province had the examination hall all to himself because of his special needs. Hu Taizhao, 19, was born with cerebral palsy but never gave up on his studies. The brilliant student registered for the 2016 gaokao and was provided with a separate examination hall by local education authorities so that he could get necessary assistance from staff.

Teachers offer red envelopes for luck

Teachers at Chongqing Yucai Middle School in Southwest China delivered red envelopes containing six yuan (90 cents) to students on Monday, to wish them good luck in the college entrance exam.

Red envelopes containing money are symbols of fortune and good luck, while the number six means that things are going smoothly.

SWAT officers guard test papers

In Beijing, a police SWAT team was dispatched for the first time to deliver examination papers around the city. This is the first gaokao after the country announced in November that cheating in exams could lead to prison sentences of up to seven years. Ensuring the safety of the papers is one of the priorities for education and test authorities.

Contact the writer at zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn

Students receive red envelopes from their teachers, wishing them good luck on the exam in Chongqing on Monday. Qian Bo/ For China Daily