.png){kind=small}
A Chinese millionaire said he failed the tough university entrance exam for the 27th time.
The 56-year-old Liang Shi found out on Friday that he had scored just 424 out of 750 points, which is 34 points below the basic level for applying to any university in China.
Almost 13 million students took the exams this year. Liang has attracted local media coverage in the past for his repeated attempts to pursue higher education.
Having attended the exams dozens of times since 1983, Liang told local media that he was disappointed with his result this year and wondered if the time would come when he would fulfill his dream.
"I used to say, 'I can't believe I won't succeed,' but now I'm broken," the Sichuan-based man told Chinese media, Tianmu News.
The Gaokao, a notoriously difficult exam, tests high school graduates in Chinese, mathematics, English and another science or humanities subject of their choice.
Chinese government data shows that only 41.6% of exam candidates were accepted into universities or colleges in 2021.
Gaokao is seen as a key opportunity, especially for those from poor families, in a country where a degree is essential to getting a good job.
Examinations have been the focal point of the country's education system since the 1950s, although they were frozen during the Cultural Revolution.
As for Yang, he said he had always dreamed of being admitted to a prestigious university and becoming an "educated person". After his first attempt failed in 1983 when he was 16, he worked various jobs but kept moving forward each year until 1992, when he was considered too old. His factory went bankrupt in the same year, Liang started his own wholesale timber business in the mid-1990s.
He soon became a more successful businessman than a student, earning 1 million yuan in one year and then starting a building materials business.
But in 2001, when the Chinese government abolished the age limit for Gaokao, he started his educational journey again. He missed the annual exams only because of poor health or a busy work schedule.
He said that over the years, the reason for his constant attempts to change his fate had shifted from not wanting to give up.
"I think it would be very unfortunate if you didn't go to college," he told local media outlet The Papers in 2014. "Your life wouldn't be complete without higher education."
On June 7 of this year, he again went to a test center to take the exams.
Known as "Gaocao No. 1", he had abstained from drinking and played mahjong to focus on studying, But again, it didn't work: Unlike in previous years, Liang said, he was beginning to feel defeated. "I was thinking if I should continue, maybe I need to think about myself," he explained.
In another interview with a Sichuan outlet, Liang said, "I may give up (next year) if I come, I will give up my family name Liang if I fail."
Source : BBC NEWS - Published on June,25,2023
Comments