UNESCO wishes good luck to Chinese students taking Gaokao

(ECNS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization took to social media X and posted a message and image to convey its blessings to examinees of China's National College Entrance Examination, known as the Gaokao, which started on Friday this year.

It quoted a famous line from Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai, "May you grow wings and fly high from the sea like a roc (an enormous legendary bird transformed from a gigantic fish)" (希君生羽翼，一化北溟鱼), and paired the quote with an image composed of symbols resembling a "koi fish," wishing the students "best of luck on the Gaokao.”

The koi fish is often associated with perseverance and good fortune in Chinese culture.