Schools help students de-stress before gaokao

As China's annual college entrance examination, known as the gaokao, kicks off on June 7, high schools across the country are rolling out creative and practical stress-relief activities to help students manage anxiety and approach the exam with a calm, confident mindset.

In Xiangyang, Hubei Province, students took part in fun outdoor games and flied paper planes inscribed with personal wishes on the school field. Meanwhile, Suzhou Experimental High School in Jiangsu Province hosted a "Sending Blessings" event, offering emotional support and encouragement to the students preparing for the 2025 gaokao.

According to China's Ministry of Education, a total of 13.35 million students have registered for this year's gaokao. Alongside this, the ministry has also introduced a batch of new interdisciplinary undergraduate majors that reflect cutting-edge trends in technology and society. 

The newly released undergraduate program catalogue lists 29 new majors in the fields such as AI, carbon neutrality, and digital governance, all of which will be open to the applicants starting with this year's admissions cycle.