National college entrance examnination kicks off
2012-06-07 05:19:29 GMT2012-06-07 13:19:29(Beijing Time)
Xinhua English
Chen Yizhi, who chooses to study aboard before high school graduation, holds a banner to encourage his high school classmates to sit National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE), in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, June 7, 2012.(Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)
An examinee of National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) lean close to her father as she takes a rest before sitting the exam at Donghu Middle School in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, June 7, 2012.
Relatives of examinees of National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) sit outside an exam center as they wait until the end of the exam at Donghu Middle School in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, June 7, 2012.
A grandmother is anxious to talk with an examinee of National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) at Chengcheng Middle School in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, June 7, 2012.
A policeman smoothes traffic outside Hefei No. 9 Middle School, an exam center of National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE), in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, June 7, 2012.
Relatives of examinees of National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) sit outside the exam center as they wait until the end of the exam at Jinan Experimental Middle School in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, June 7, 2012.
Volunteers hold a slogan "Victory in Gaokao" outside Nanjing No. 9 Middle School in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, June 7, 2012.
The NCEE, also known as "gaokao" in Chinese, is regarded as a destiny-shaping event for high schoolers.
About 9.15 million people will take the exam on June 7 and 8 this year to vie for 6.85 million vacancies in the country's universities and colleges, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.
This year's admission rate is up nearly 3 percent year-on-year, and the number of exam takers is down by 2 percent, the statement said, adding that there are more applicants from relatively underprivileged western regions.
