Teacher in China Wears a Qipao to Destress Students During Grueling College Entrance Exams

The teacher appeared in front of his class wearing a qipao on Tuesday before his cram school students take the test that will determine their future, according to Shanghaiist.

He reportedly donned the dress to lift his students’ spirits.

 

Dressed in a flowery red qipao, the unidentified teacher asked his students one-by-one to come up and cut out a piece of his dress.

Qipao, which became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, is typically worn by mothers of students taking the exam. They believe it brings good luck to test takers as the slit on the sides of the dress, called “qipao kaicha” in Mandarin, sounds similar to the phrase “qi kai de sheng” which translates to “success on the first try.”

Gaokao, China’s annual college entrance exam, is an important part of the year as students take tests to gauge whether they are fit to enter university. This will also determine which institution is admitting and what career awaits them after graduating.

Feature Image Screenshot via Miaopai