After failing to score high enough in the "gaokao" (China's notoriously tough college entrance exam) for the 27th consecutive time, 56-year-old Liang Shi began to wonder whether he would be able to get into his dream university.
Mr. Liang is a self-made millionaire who has taken the grueling college entrance exam dozens of times over the past four decades, hoping to gain a place at Sichuan University and become an “intellectual.” Despite his relatively successful life, he still dreams of attending a prestigious university in China.
Mr. Luong Thach, who took the gaokao 27 times
During his preparation for the exam, Mr. Luong spent 12 hours a day studying, abstained from drinking and playing mahjong, and endured the suspicion and ridicule from the media for taking the exam too many times. However, in this year's exam, he still fell 34 points short of the standard score to be able to enter any university.
"Before I got the results, I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to get a high enough score to get into an elite university, but I didn't expect to get into a regular university," he told AFP.
In the past, failing the exam had not deterred Mr. Luong from his dream. Each time he failed, he vowed to try again the following year. But this time, for the first time in decades, he wondered if his efforts would have any effect.
"If I really don't see much hope for improvement, then there's no point in retaking the exam. I've really studied very hard every day. It's hard to say whether I'll continue preparing for next year's gaokao," Mr. Luong admitted.
However, a life without studying for the gaokao is almost unthinkable for the Chinese millionaire. "It was a difficult decision. I also did not want to give up. [If] I stopped taking the gaokao, every cup of tea I drank for the rest of my life would taste of regret," he confided.
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