27/06/2023
After taking the difficult "gaokao," China's college entrance exam, 27 times, 56-year-old Liang Shi is starting to wonder if he will ever achieve his goal of enrolling in his ideal university. Despite being a self-made millionaire with a flourishing business selling building supplies, Liang has always wanted to develop his mind and get accepted to Sichuan University.
Liang has devoted the last forty years to studying for the gaokao, putting in 12 hours a day to get ready for the test. He has given up several things, like consuming alcohol and playing Mahjong. But he has faced obstacles in his quest for a distinguished higher education. He has received criticism from the press, earning the moniker "gaokao holdout," as well as from online sceptics who call the veracity of his endeavours into question.
Liang failed to get the provincial minimum score necessary for admission to any university this year, missing it by 34 points, despite leading a disciplined life equal to that of an ascetic monk.
Liang predicted the results, saying he wouldn't get a good enough grade to get into a prestigious university. He did not, however, expect to be unable to get a spot in a regular institution.