My gaokao stories from weibo users:

By "Chen Qiufan"

I was so excited to take the exam that I forgot to take money with me. When I was about to step out of the taxi, I had nothing to pay the driver with but a pair of smelly and torn sneakers. The taxi driver frowned and took the sneakers and I made it to the exam site at the last minute.

By "Blue Ulysses"

I was in the school dormitory the night before gaokao. Usually dorm mates were noisy at night but they were very quite that night. I was not used to the silence but I didn't want to get up and disturb their sleep so I found myself doing exercises at 2.30 am.

By "I'm Qingxin Zhaoge fresh"

I shook hands with every teacher of the subject he/she taught before I left to take the exam hoping it would bring me luck and confidence. I didn't know why, but I remember shaking hands with the Chinese teacher before I was to take the math exam.

By "Fang Xiazi"

I was about to take my gaokao, then in July instead of June, in 1966. But we were sent to work in the countryside a month before that. In the countryside, we heard from the radio that gaokao was postponed because we were to take part in the "cultural revolution (1966-76)". It was almost a decade before we finally had the chance to take gaokao again.

By "I want to have a roe dear"

I was almost a victim of superstitious activities when I was to take my gaokao. My father brought back a paper talisman from the local temple. He believed it would have the effect of protecting and granting me good luck if it was burnt and I drank the mixture of ashes with water. I tried to sip a little but spat it out to avoid being sick.

By "Zhongdu Fensekong"

I remember that in case of a traffic jam my father took me to the exam site on his motorcycle. The traffic was really jammed but my father showed nice driving skills to complete the mission of escorting me to my gaokao. I saw envious eyes in the cars that were stuck on the road.

By "On the existence of the woods"

My father wasn't in town days before I was to take gaokao in 2010. He was a farmer who worked as migrant worker in other places. But he finally got back home to a rented flat outside the school I was in. I didn't know he was in town but he passed by the flat and dropped me a note.

I found it after I completed the first subject. On the note there was a sentence, in very poor handwriting, which read: "Do a good job in your exam. Don't be nervous. Papa was here with you." He didn't know how to express love and care. It was the first time I got a message from him.