High school seniors sitting the National College Entrance Examination from today are being given every bit of special treatment where possible, from free rides to their test centers to noise restrictions in their neighborhoods.

A total of 8.67 million students are sitting this year's the college entrance examinations, an unprecedented increase of 1.44 million from last year. Female students make up 44.5 percent of the total.

In South China's Guangdong Province, for example, traffic around 38 of the 54 exam centers is being diverted, and eight bus stops near the exam centers will be temporarily relocated 30 minutes before and during the "big exam" to minimize noise.

Quiet zones have also been set up within 500 meters of the sites. That means no street hawkers. No loud equipment at catering and entertainment places during the English listening comprehension test. And in a country where economic growth is king, no construction noise throughout the day. At night, the construction had better be a key project if it's loud enough to bother sleep time.

And there's a 24-hour hotline in case a student has a complaint.

The provincial meteorological office has even set up a team to inform related government agencies and the public of weather developments in this subtropical province that is prone to thunderstorms.

In Foshan, students can breathe their tensions by inhaling oxygen at nearby hospitals.

At the other end of the country, Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in the northeast, began its first observance of "quiet days."

Honking vehicle horns, loudspeakers used for commercial purposes and entertainment-related noise are prohibited for the time being, said An Jianzhi of the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. 210 police officers in 84 patrol cars will patrol the streets around the 42 examination sites.

"In case of an emergency, students can ask them for help," An said.

Huang Lunhui, manager of the Power Hotel, said that his hotel is providing "hourly rooms" to the students for 60 yuan (US$7.20) an hour if they wish to take a mid-day break. Huang expects that many rooms will be rented out because it was the parents who had inquired after them.

In Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, boats are forbidden to use their horns, and a special force patrols the main 10-kilometer stretch of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which usually handles 300 to 400 cargo boats a day. From 10 PM to 6 AM, the canal in and around urban areas will be closed to ensure that students sleep better, said Chen Jiasheng, a senior officer with the Hangzhou Port and Shipping Administration Bureau.

And in Beijing, at least 324 volunteers will transport students to exam centers. This is part of a program sponsored jointly by sina.com.cn, China National Radio and the Beijing Evening News.

"I just feel sorry for the students taking part in the entrance exam because of the heavy pressure, so I wanted to try to help them," said Zhu Di, one volunteer driver.

Volunteer drivers have a yellow logo pasted on their cars. Students may stop them, show their exam certificates and ride for free.

"Last year, there were reports saying students were deprived of examination qualifications because of transport difficulties," said Liang Ying, a sina.com.cn vice-director. "So we started the idea of volunteer rides this year."

Free rides are also available in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, which has been running the program for the last four years.

(China Daily June 7, 2005)