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One of the four students in Bobai county, Guangxi province, being paraded on the streets for their achievement. Photo: Handout

Students paraded in streets after being accepted into China’s top universities

A video of students being paraded in a public procession in southern China to celebrate their admission into the country’s two top universities is making its rounds online.

The 40-minute parade took place last Friday on the streets of Bobai county in Guangxi province, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Tuesday.

Four students, with garlands round their necks, stood through the sunroofs of individual SUVs as the vehicles drove alongside trucks and motorcycles during the procession.

Lion dancers and drummers performed to jubilant music as the motorcade moved through the streets.

A truck at the front of the procession carried red banners bearing the names of the four students and the top universities they were admitted into – Peking University and Tsinghua University, both in Beijing.

The report noted that all four of the students happened to share the same surname, Li.

The extravagant event was organised by the local Li clan, which also handed out nearly 200,000 yuan (US$30,000) in cash to 165 of the county’s top scorers in the national college entrance examinations this past summer, the report said.

The procession is testament to the importance Chinese people place on gaining admission into the country’s top universities.

A graduate from a reputable university is highly valued in China’s job market and nationwide, the competition is intense for high school students to be accepted into one.

Students have first to sit a gruelling set of college entrance exams, known as the gaokao, which determines which universities they qualify for, if any.

The gaokao is widely considered in China to be the most important exam, which can make or break a young person’s future.

The handwritten note was posted in front of the noodle shop in Guilin, Guangxi province. Photo: Handout

Last week, also in Guangxi, local media reported of a noodle shop owner who suspended business for five days to travel to Beijing with his son, who had been admitted into the elite Tsinghua university.

The proud father posted the announcement in front of his shop in Guilin in a handwritten note on red paper traditionally used for celebratory purposes, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The man, his wife and son would travel around the capital before sending the boy off to start his term at Tsinghua, the report said.

A photo of the announcement was widely circulated online, with social media users praising the noodle shop owner’s son for doing his parents proud.

“I’m sure my dad will celebrate with fireworks for three days if I ever get into Tsinghua,” one Weibo user wrote.

The noodle shop owner (far right), his wife and son at the Great Wall in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
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