Beijing to bring China’s classical novels into Gaokao Chinese exam

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Good news for teenage bookworms in great libraries, especially with a preference for Chinese classical novels! They may have a chance to do better in the Gaokao, the national college entrance examination.

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The latest test regulation published by the Beijing Educational Committee has suggested that ancient texts such as "Dreams of the Red Chamber" by Cao Xueqin, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels, will be included in the Gaokao in 2017, and students are expected to study the relevant content before they take Chinese subject in the exam.

However, such novels, although considered as China’s great classics, used to be regarded as extracurricular books among many teachers and parents in China, and most students seldom had a chance to read them based on a heavy schedule, especially during the senior year in high school.

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Young netizens were quick to comment on China’s social media platforms as soon as the news surfaced, with some of them worried about the complicated character relationships, background, and themes in the novel, and others questioned why other literary masterpieces such as "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin" were not included.

“Lucky me I attended college already and I don’t have to take the new exam,” joked @Faramita-ajiu on Weibo.

Grand View Garden in the Dreams of the Red Chamber/ CFP Photo

A sample question was also revealed in the test instruction about the understanding of a poetry club that the ladies in the "Dreams of the Red Chamber" established in Grand View Garden.

Other classical novels, such as "The Old Man and the Sea," "The Border Town," and "The Ordinary World," etc. were also brought into the Gaokao scope in 2017.

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Some slight changes on mathematics and English sections could also be found in the new version.

Such a move is said to encourage students to spend more time on reading and improving their skills in terms of a better understanding on classic literature.