Guo Yusen braved the humid weather on Tuesday morning in Beijing to visit the exam hall where his son will sit the national college entrance exams which begin today.

"I just want to get familiar with the route and surroundings to ensure there are no problems when I escort my son here tomorrow," Guo Yusen said. He explained he’d taken three days holiday to help his son prepare for the exam.

A record 9.5 million students will take the annual national college entrance exams on June 7 and 8 with universities and colleges in China enrolling 2.6 million undergraduates this year. This means only one in every four will be eligible for and university enrollment.

Scores of students and their parents visited exam halls in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing on Tuesday to determine the best route to take the next day so as to avoid traffic jams.

Traffic police have even distributed sketch maps identifying car parks close to exam centers to parents in an effort to ensure order is maintained and stress levels reduced.  . 

Hotels and rental accommodation close to exam centers are busy as many parents are eager to find somewhere comfortable and close at hand where their children can rest between the exams. . .  

Xie Xiang, a senior education reporter for China Youth Daily, has for years been producing articles calling on parents to adopt a more relaxed approach towards the exam. However, with her own child sitting the exam this year Xie has also rented an apartment adjacent to the exam venue -- a classroom in the Beijing No. 101 Middle School.

"Most of the children living far away from the school have moved to the vicinity and I’ve done the same to make my child feel more relaxed," Xie said.

By the end of last week all hotels in the neighborhood of the Beijing No. 101 Middle School were full booked by the families of those sitting the exam. Banners carrying the words "Keep Silent" are hanging in hotel lobbies at the request of the parents.

A survey has shown that 76 percent of parents suffer from symptoms of pre-exam anxiety. And it seems this leads to concerns about the amount of pressure their children are actually under. 

In the past month a computer ‘blog’ called "Blog for parents of third-grade senior high students" which is being carried by the well known Chinese portal, sina.com.cn, has received more than 1 million visits.

Psychologists suggest the blog serves as a platform for the parents to share experiences and helps ease their pressure. The majority of parents writing the blog have chosen to remain anonymous as it seems they’re concerned it might inflict even more pressure on their families. 

Once again this annual, national event appears to have the whole of China on edge.

Many middle schools in Beijing have distributed pamphlets advising parents what to include in the diets of those sitting the exams and suggestions on which words should be avoided in pre-exam talks with their families. Apparently certain words have the potential to increase anxiety. 

Some parents in Shanghai are hiring chefs to cook for their children at a cost of 100 to 200 yuan (US$12.5 to 25) per day. And the weather reports during the exam period are of intense interest to everyone.  

China's Ministry of Education has asked the media not to sensationalize hot topics in connection with the exams in a bid to "avoid creating a tense atmosphere".

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2006)