HSK 5 · Article · 606 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-the-gaokao

高考是什么？

What is the gaokao?

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每年měinián六月liùyuè初chū，中国zhōngguó的de很hěn多duō城市chéngshì都dōu会huì突然tūrán安静ānjìng下来xiàlai。考场káochǎng附近fùjìn的de工地gōngdì停止tíngzhǐ施工shīgōng，汽车qìchē经过jīngguò学校xuéxiào门口ménkǒu不能bùnéng鸣笛míngdí，警察jǐngchá在zài考场káochǎng周围zhōuwéi维持wéichí秩序zhìxù。考场káochǎng外面wàimiàn，一些yìxiē妈妈māma特意tèyì穿chuān上shàng了le红色hóngsè的de旗袍qípáo，因为yīnwèi“旗袍qípáo”的de“旗qí”让ràng人rén想到xiǎngdào一个yígè吉利jílì的de成语chéngyǔ：旗开得胜qíkāi-déshèng。近jìn两liǎng年nián，有的yǒude手机shǒujī软件ruǎnjiàn在zài考试kǎoshì期间qījiān甚至shènzhì会huì暂停zàntíng拍照pāizhào解题jiětí的de功能gōngnéng。这zhè一切yíqiè，都dōu是shì为了wèile同一tóngyì场chǎng考试kǎoshì：高考gāokǎo。

高考gāokǎo的de全名quánmíng是shì“普通pǔtōng高等学校gāoděng-xuéxiào招生zhāoshēng全国quánguó统一tǒngyì考试kǎoshì”，简单jiǎndān地de说shuō，它tā是shì中国zhōngguó的de大学dàxué入学rùxué考试kǎoshì。它tā从cóng每年měinián的de6月yuè7日rì开始kāishǐ，根据gēnjù省份shěngfèn不同bùtóng，一般yìbān考kǎo两liǎng到dào四sì天tiān。语文yǔwén、数学shùxué和hé外语wàiyǔ是shì每měi个gè考生kǎoshēng都dōu必须bìxū考kǎo的de科目kēmù，其他qítā科目kēmù可以kéyǐ按àn自己zìjǐ的de兴趣xìngqù和hé特长tècháng来lái选xuǎn。在zài大多数dàduōshù地方dìfang，总分zǒngfēn是shì750分fēn。大学dàxué几乎jīhū只zhǐ看kàn这zhè一次yícì的de成绩chéngjì来lái录取lùqǔ学生xuéshēng，所以suóyǐ人们rénmen常cháng说shuō，高考gāokǎo就jiù像xiàng“千军万马qiānjūn-wànmǎ过guò独木桥dúmùqiáo”。

这zhè座zuò独木桥dúmùqiáo上shàng的de人rén有yǒu多少duōshao？2026年nián，报名bàomíng参加cānjiā高考gāokǎo的de考生kǎoshēng有yǒu一千二百九十万yìqiān’èrbáijiǔshíwàn，比bǐ不少bùshǎo国家guójiā的de总人口zǒngrénkǒu还hái多duō。为了wèile公平gōngpíng，考试kǎoshì管理guánlǐ得de极其jíqí严格yángé。考生kǎoshēng不能bùnéng带dài手机shǒujī进jìn考场káochǎng，有的yǒude考场káochǎng还hái用yòng无人机wúrénjī检查jiǎnchá作弊zuòbì信号xìnhào。从cóng2015年nián起qǐ，在zài高考gāokǎo中zhōng组织zǔzhī作弊zuòbì属于shǔyú犯罪fànzuì，最zuì严重yánzhòng的de可以kéyǐ被bèi判处pànchǔ七qī年nián有期徒刑yǒuqī-túxíng。

高考gāokǎo也yě有yǒu过guò中断zhōngduàn的de历史lìshǐ。1966年nián，高考gāokǎo被bèi取消qǔxiāo，整整zhéngzhěng十一shíyī年nián没有méiyǒu举行jǔxíng。1977年nián冬天dōngtiān，高考gāokǎo终于zhōngyú恢复huīfù了le。那nà一yì年nián，五百七十多wúbǎiqīshíduō万wàn人rén走进zǒujìn了le考场káochǎng，录取lùqǔ的de只有zhíyǒu百分之五bǎifēnzhīwǔ左右zuǒyòu。考生kǎoshēng里li，有yǒu刚gāng毕业bìyè的de中学生zhōngxuéshēng，也yě有yǒu已经yǐjīng在zài农村nóngcūn劳动了le好几háojǐ年nián的de年轻人niánqīngrén；后来hòulái考上kǎoshàng大学dàxué的de人rén当中dāngzhōng，年纪niánjì最zuì小xiǎo的de只有zhíyǒu十五shíwǔ岁suì，最zuì大dà的de已经yǐjīng三十多岁sānshí-duōsuì了le。对duì他们tāmen来lái说shuō，这zhè场chǎng考试kǎoshì真正zhēnzhèng地de改变gǎibiàn了le命运mìngyùn。

今天jīntiān，批评pīpíng高考gāokǎo的de声音shēngyīn也yě不少bùshǎo：有人yǒurén觉得juéde一yí次cì考试kǎoshì决定juédìng不了bùliǎo一yí个gè人rén的de未来wèilái，有人yǒurén心疼xīnténg孩子háizi们men为了wèile分数fēnshù熬夜áoyè刷题shuātí。可是kěshì对duì很hěn多duō普通pǔtōng家庭jiātíng来lái说shuō，高考gāokǎo仍然réngrán是shì最zuì公平gōngpíng的de一yì条tiáo路lù。所以suóyǐ每年měinián六月liùyuè，考场káochǎng的de铃声língshēng一yì响xiǎng，整个zhěnggè国家guójiā都dōu会huì屏住bǐngzhù呼吸hūxī。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
停止tíngzhǐto stop; to halt; to cease
维持wéichíto maintain; to keep; to preserve
软件ruǎnjiànsoftware
期间qījiānperiod; time; during
功能gōngnéngfunction; feature; capability
同一tóngyìsame; identical
统一tǒngyìunified; uniform; to unify; to unite
省份shěngfènprovince
语文yǔwénChinese (as a school subject)
录取lùqǔto admit (students); to enroll; to recruit
公平gōngpíngfair; impartial; fairness
极其jíqíextremely; exceedingly

English (for the teacher)

Every year in early June, many Chinese cities suddenly go quiet. Building sites near exam halls stop work, cars passing school gates may not sound their horns, and police keep order around the exam sites. Outside the halls, some mothers make a point of wearing a red qipao, because the 旗 in 旗袍 calls to mind a lucky idiom: 旗开得胜, “victory as soon as the banner is raised”. In the last couple of years some phone apps have even switched off their snap-a-photo homework solvers during the exam. All of this is for one single exam: the gaokao.

The gaokao's full name is the National Unified Examination for Admission to Regular Institutions of Higher Education; put simply, it is China's university entrance exam. It starts on 7 June every year and usually lasts two to four days, depending on the province. Chinese, maths and a foreign language are compulsory for every candidate, and the other subjects can be chosen to suit one's interests and strengths. In most places the total score is 750. Universities admit students almost entirely on the results of this one exam, which is why people often say the gaokao is like “ten thousand horsemen crossing a single-log bridge”.

So how many people are on this bridge? In 2026, 12.9 million candidates registered for the gaokao, more than the whole population of many countries. To keep it fair, the exam is run extremely strictly. Candidates may not take phones into the hall, and some sites even use drones to detect cheating signals. Since 2015, organising cheating in the gaokao has been a crime, punishable in the worst cases by seven years in prison.

The gaokao has also had a break in its history. In 1966 it was cancelled, and for eleven whole years it was not held. In the winter of 1977 the gaokao was finally restored. That year more than 5.7 million people walked into the exam halls, and only about five percent were admitted. Among the candidates were school-leavers fresh out of secondary school and young people who had already spent years working in the countryside; of those who got into university, the youngest was only fifteen and the oldest already in their thirties. For them, this exam truly changed their fate.

Today there is plenty of criticism of the gaokao too: some feel one exam can't decide a person's future, and some feel for the children staying up late drilling practice questions for the sake of a score. But for many ordinary families, the gaokao is still the fairest road there is. So every June, the moment the bell rings in the exam halls, the whole country holds its breath.