Zhou Tong, a high school graduate in Huoqiu county, Anhui, prepares for the gaokao while receiving treatment in hospital.（SHEN SHIGANG/FOR CHINA DAILY）
Full scores
Zhou is just one of many Chinese students determined not to let the hardships they experience in life deprive them of a better future.
Zhang Xueyan, from Huai'an, Jiangsu province, scored 757 points out of a possible 770 in this year's high school entrance exam, or zhongkao. She achieved full scores in eight subjects out of 12.
Her parents do not make much money and the family has to support three children. To avoid placing undue financial pressure on the family, Zhang has never taken private tutoring courses, unlike most of her classmates, according to media reports.
"We cannot choose our parents, yet as we learn more, the lack of a prestigious family background will be overshadowed by our brilliance," Zhang told local media outlet Litchi News.
Chen Liang, a high school graduate from Mianyang, Sichuan province, saw his father buried the day before taking the gaokao on June 7, according to Red Star News. Chen's mother died when he was 1 and his grandparents passed away when he was still very young.
In March, his father was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He had insisted that Chen continue preparing for the gaokao, as he always wanted his son to succeed through education.
Every weekend, Chen returned home to take his father to the hospital for treatment.
"My father kept getting thinner and I worried about him all the time at school. I was afraid that someday he would leave me," said Chen, who did well enough in the gaokao to enroll at university.
"I thought I would only be able to attend a vocational college and I 'told' my father about my score," he said.
Since media reports of Chen's story appeared, many people have contacted him to offer financial help. However, he turned down donations and started to work part-time at a local homestay.
"I learned from my father that you can earn a living through hard work. I am grateful to all the people who wanted to help me, but I will study hard to earn scholarships and also find part-time jobs at university," he said.
Chen's head teacher, Zeng Hongjun, said the school exempted the student from tuition fees for the past three years.
A local official said education authorities would help Chen obtain subsidies and interest-free loans to cover his tuition and dormitory fees.
