Published : 2024-12-10
December 10, 1977, was the first day of the restored Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges in China, which is commonly known as "Gaokao" (高考).
After state leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) was reinstated to his original party, government, and military leadership positions in mid-1977, he decided at the science and education work symposium held in August of the same year that, no matter what, the Gaokao system suspended for 11 years due to the Cultural Revolution must be restored within the year.
In the first session of the Gaokao after the restoration, a total of 5.7 million people registered, and 273,000 new students were admitted.
On the first day of the exam, Chinese language was tested in the morning with two optional essay topics; in the afternoon, liberal arts candidates took the history and geography exams, each worth 50 points, while science candidates took physics and chemistry exams.
As for the second day, mathematics was tested in the morning, and politics in the afternoon. Thus, all 4 subjects of the first session of the Gaokao were completed in two days.
