Candidates taking art exams

Photo shows a candidate attending the art exams in Shandong Institute of the Art son March 1, 2015. [Photo/CNS]

The art college exams are taking place around China.

Such exams, which evaluate skills like painting, dancing and singing, must be taken in addition to the college entrance exams, but carry far greater weight in qualifying for art school.

A report on China's art education industry released in 2014 showed that the number of art colleges in the country has surged from 597 in 2002 to 1,679 in 2013, while high school students applying for such colleges have risen from 32,000 to approximately 1 million during the past decade.