Inside Chinese Schools: from High-Tech Sanctions to the Ruthless Pressure of Gaokao

Take a closer look at Inside Chinese Schools: from High-Tech Sanctions to the Ruthless Pressure of Gaokao with our latest coverage.

Q1: How do you say "school" and "student" in Mandarin Chinese?

A1: School is 学校 (xuéxiào). Student is 学生 (xuéshēng). A college student is a 大学生 (dàxuéshēng), while a high school student is a 高中生 (gāozhōngshēng).

Q2: Can foreign students take the Gaokao to attend Chinese universities?

A2: Foreign passport holders rarely take the standard domestic Gaokao. Instead, international applicants take alternative admissions pathways, including the HSK Chinese proficiency exam, SAT or IB scores, and university-administered entrance evaluations.

Q3: Did the Double Reduction policy successfully lower student stress?

A3: The policy eliminated visible public cram schools and reduced routine homework in primary grades. However, because the high-stakes Zhongkao and Gaokao filters remain unchanged, academic competition shifted into underground tutoring and heightened parental anxiety.

Q4: Why do sanctioned Chinese universities continue to climb global STEM rankings?

A4: Heavy government funding, state-backed laboratory networks, and an abundant stream of top-tier STEM graduates allow institutions like Tsinghua, Peking University, and Harbin Institute of Technology to run intensive domestic research programs that operate independently of Western commercial toolchains.