Things that China lacks: oil, a decent network of highways, a quality control system for food and drugs, clean air in its cities.  One thing that China absolutely does not lack: people.  Everywhere you go in China, with the exception of some of the more sparsely populated Western provinces, you can’t help but feel surrounded by humanity.  From the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, Chinese cities are teeming with them, from the very young to the very old. But spend any time in Beijing or elsewhere and you’ll begin to notice the absence of one particular age group: kids from middle school to high school age.  During the school year, if you see them, they are either on their way to school or on their way home.  Kids in this age group have school for about 6 hours per day, then have an average of 6 hours of homework every night. When Chinese students reach the age of 10 or so, they simply vanish, not to reappear until after they’ve sat for the test that will determine pretty much their entire future – their career, their financial status, everything.  Just imagine that the 8-10 years of primary school through high school is nothing more than preparation for a two-day exam, known as the gaokao, with the direction of your life hanging in the balance.  Each year, millions of high school kids complete the test in competition for a place in the countries universities, institutions which can accommodate only about 60% of their numbers.  Now that’s pressure.

If you want to read more about this test of tests, check out this excellent article by Manuela Zoninsein in Slate.