72-Year-Old Chinese Man Has Failed the Gaokao 19 Times, Finally Gives Up
![72-Year-Old Chinese Man Has Failed the Gaokao 19 Times, Finally Gives Up](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_GAOKAO.png?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85&blur=80)
![72-Year-Old Chinese Man Has Failed the Gaokao 19 Times, Finally Gives Up](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_GAOKAO.png?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
![Carl Samson](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CARLSAMSON_NEXTSHARK.jpg?width=128&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
By Carl Samson
After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.
The senior examinee, identified as Kang Lianxi, has been collecting scraps for a living in his home province of Liaoning for years.
The gaokao, or the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), is an annual standardized exam held in China that serves as a prerequisite for undergraduate entrance into higher education institutions.
Kang first took the gaokao in 1978; he sat for the second time in 2001, when the Chinese government lifted the exam’s age restriction.
![After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_1.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
Since then, Kang had been returning for the test each year, aiming to achieve a mark that could help change his economic status.
His highest score of 303 came in 2009, while his lowest score of 73 came just last year, according to Pear Video.
![After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_2.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
Kang has spent around 3,000 yuan ($430) on registration fees for the exam over the years.
Because his budget is tight, he relied on sourcing study materials from the scraps he had collected.
![After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_3.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
After nearly two decades of sitting for the “world’s toughest exam,” Kang, who has no wife or children, decided to call it quits.
“I didn’t do the writing,” he told a reporter about this year’s test, according to Shanghaiist. “My hands were trembling so I couldn’t write many words.”
![After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_4.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
Kang may not have performed as well as he had hoped, but his presence at the testing center on June 8 sure inspired younger fellow examinees.
Meanwhile, netizens praised his perseverance, convinced that he was more interested in seeing how far he could go.
![After sitting the gaokao 19 times, a 72-year-old man in northeastern China has decided that this year’s test will be his last.](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KANG_5.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
“Grandpa, you’re a winner.”
“I can only admire his courage. If only life isn’t so hard, who would go this far?”
“For this man, the gaokao is no longer just another test of knowledge, but a test of spirit.”
“The fact that someone at this age has worked so hard makes me ashamed of younger generations.”
“Every ‘soldier’ on this ‘battlefield’ deserves to be praised … but seeing grandpa bow his head warmed my heart.”
Images via Weibo / 少年不打太极
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