Students enter the test site of China's 2020 national college entrance exam in Wuxi on July 7. [Photo by Qin Yan/wxrb.com]
A total of 22,000 students in Wuxi started taking China's 2020 national college entrance exam, also known as the gaokao, on Tuesday.
This will be the largest gathering in the nation since the COVID-19 outbreak, though it was postponed for one month due to the coronavirus.
All local departments will work to ensure that this year's gaokao will be carried out in a safe and orderly manner.
Students must have their temperatures checked before entering the test sites, and there are at least three isolated test rooms at each test site for candidates who exhibit symptoms of fever or cough during the exam.
Over 600 traffic police and 700 auxiliary police work to ensure acceptable traffic conditions for students on July 7. [Photo by Liu Fanghui/wxrb.com]
As heavy downpours were forecast to hit vast stretches of the city, over 600 traffic police and 700 auxiliary police worked to ensure acceptable traffic conditions for students on July 7. Ten groups of mounted police also stood by in case of emergency.
At the Wuxi Furen High School, a disabled student was cared for by a teacher all day. For the first time, a fire engine was parked at the test site, which was equipped with firefighting and rescue facilities.
A student holds a sunflower to cheer for himself at Wuxi No 1 High School, one of the test sites. [Photo by Wang Hong/wxrb.com]
On the first day of the momentous event, parents and teachers came up with creative ways to offer good luck to their children and students, including wearing red masks or T-shirts and presenting students with sunflowers.
The sunflower has become a popular symbol among parents this year, as it is called "xiang ri kui" in Chinese. This is a partial homophone with the expression "yi ju duo kui", which means "triumph in one go".
The gaokao, which lasts for three days in Jiangsu province, is a highly important event for millions of students, as it is an extremely competitive and intensive test that will largely determine their futures.
