Lucky prayers for 'gaokao', the exam of a lifetime for millions of would-be university students

While more than nine million students across the mainland prepared to take the national university entrance exam, known as gaokao in Chinese, today and tomorrow, parents and students have been praying for good scores.

Temples around the country have been flooded with parents praying to Confucius - the greatest educationalist in traditional Chinese culture - to bring luck to their children.

If a Confucian temple is not available, a tree will suffice. Parents of students in Liuan, Anhui province have turned to an old willow located in the grounds of a high school in Maotanchang. The school is called the "gaokao mill" among locals for successfully preparing students to pass the exam. The wizened tree is often surrounded by anxious parents and relatives who believe it can bring luck, according to photos spread online.

Two female students at Maotanchang high school also prayed to the statue of Mao Zedong on a nearby hill on June 4.

In Mianyang , Sichuan province, parents in 70 private cars drove students to their designated test schools on June 5.

Friends and families saw them off and wished them good luck. The line of cars stretched for several kilometres and featured dragon and lion dances, gongs, drums and firecrackers.

The Foshan municipal government in Guangdong announced this week that all kinds of entertainment activities were banned within 500 metres of any test centre.