One thing I didn’t mention about the gaokao – China’s college entrance exams - last week is their contribution to Beijingology. Contestants are set essay questions in national and regional categories. These are interpreted as revealing clues to what’s actually on the government’s mind in any given year. Says Danwei:
Each year after the college entrance exam, pundits, noted bloggers, and the general public offer up their own compositions while trying to guess the motivations behind the topics.
Anyway, here’s a few questions. I can’t see any overt theme as such, but they do have the mental atmosphere of an anxiety dream.
National I
"Taking a tumble" (摔了一跤)
An image of a child surrounded by three adults representing Society, Family, and School. The three are all saying "There's been an accident" (出事了) Choose a format and a title. 800 characters.
Shanghai
"This ditch must be crossed"
(1) 800 characters or more; (2) Not poetry; (3) Do not reveal any personal information.
Beijing
Using "The drizzle dampens clothes but cannot be seen; flowers fall to the ground without a sound" write an essay of your choice. 800 characters or more.
Jiangsu
"Nostalgia for the heavens"
Shandong
Write an 800-character piece on the topic "Time will not erode memory"
Guangdong
Using "transfer" as the topic, write 800 characters. No poetry.
Anhui
"Carrying a basket of springtime to see mother
Imagine candidates for an exam in Britain needing to be told not to write poetry as part of their answers.
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