In the height of summer, chasing dreams, I pick up my pen and set sail on a new journey. On June 7th, the 2026 National College Entrance Examination officially kicked off. Gansu's students entered the exam hall full of confidence, fighting for their dreams. The exam sites in Lanzhou, Jincheng, are orderly and full of warmth. Parents warmly accompany exam students, graduating class teachers provide warm support, and all members of the street, community, volunteer teams, and related support units are on duty, providing meticulous service. The whole city unites and warmly escorts, building a strong foundation for dream-chasing youth through companionship and perseverance.
Parents wait, warm companionship during exams
The college entrance exam is not a lone battle for students; it carries the gentlest protection of the family. Countless parents, with attentive care and calm companionship, relieved pressure and safeguarded the students, capturing one warm scene after another of Jincheng exam companions.
Parent Zhu Kexin made comprehensive preparations early for her child's first day of the college entrance exam, carefully preparing light and tasty noodle dishes before leaving early in the morning. In Zhu Kexin's heart, accompanying the college entrance exam is not just a brief wait outside the exam room, but a steadfast commitment from departure at dawn to the end at dusk. A warm and delicious meal and a relaxed and composed mindset are the strongest sources of confidence for children, helping them clear their minds, focus on themselves, and bravely face this tough battle of youth.
Outside the Lanzhou No.1 High School exam site, a warm atmosphere filled the entire venue. Ms. Xu, a citizen, wore a gentle qipao and held a sunflower, having arrived early to send her son off for his exams. During the conversation, the reporter learned that Ms. Xu's child is a student at Lanzhou No. 2 High School. On that day, the whole family mobilized to send her off for the exam, standing side by side to cheer on the young man about to enter the exam room.
When talking about her child's goals, Ms. Xu's eyes were full of comfort and anticipation. She introduced that her child has excellent academic performance, and this college entrance exam will be a sprint for the Beihang University Strong Foundation Program, striving hard toward her ideal institution. Looking back on her three years in high school, Ms. Xu is filled with emotion. She admitted that over the past three years, her child has practiced practice and exam preparation day after day, investing a great deal of time and energy. As a parent, she has seen this and felt deeply concerned, and is genuinely proud of her child's persistence and effort.
"I wish all college entrance exam students success in the exam, outstanding performance, and the highest honor." These simple words were filled with warmth and wishes, expressing the most sincere wishes of all the parents.
In front of the Lanzhou No.1 High School exam site, a pot of blooming sunflowers caught the eye. Yang Xia, a citizen holding a flowerpot, was smiling as she waited for her son. This flower, planted by her own hands, became a unique touch of warmth on site.
"These aren't bought flowers; I grew them myself." Facing reporters, Yang Xia smiled and shared the story behind the scenes. Back when the college entrance exam was 100 days away, she had already planted two sunflower seeds in a flowerpot at home. At first, I just wanted to give it a try, but unexpectedly, the seeds sprouted smoothly, sprouted branches, and grew leaves, growing vigorously all the way. Even more coincidentally, the flowers quietly bloomed the day before the college entrance exam, braving the wind and rain.
Seeing the carefully tended sunflowers bloom on schedule, the child was especially delighted. Yang Xia said that after twelve years of hard study, every candidate has put in tremendous sweat. "I wish all candidates to win first place and make the honor roll, and may all their efforts be fulfilled." This sun-facing flower is not only an encouragement for her own children, but also a blessing for all students.
Teachers stand firm, warm-hearted escort
After twelve years of diligent study and hard study, he rushed to the exam hall one day. Outside the various exam sites, besides the warmly waited parents, there was a special group of companions—the graduating class exam delivery teachers. They remained on the front lines of the exam venue, accompanying students throughout, giving warm reminders, and encouraging them with composure, guarding the students' final journey with the original intention of teachers, safeguarding the youthful test papers.
At the entrance of the Northwest Normal University Affiliated High School exam site, Chai Xueping, a Chinese teacher from Lanzhou No. 57 Middle School, arrived early, holding a blessing sign with the words "A bright future and achieving success on the exam list," offering warm encouragement to the students heading to the exam site with companionship and smiles.
At 7:50, Chai Xueping arrived at the exam site. Having worked in high school Chinese teaching for 16 years, she is a regular at the exam sites.
In the crowd, her gaze darted continuously, carefully identifying the students passing by. Whenever she saw a familiar figure, Chai Xueping would immediately smile and call out the student's name, reminding her, "Play steadily and do your best!" Warm reminders and sincere encouragement instantly eased the students' nervousness. In the eyes of candidates, teachers stationed outside the exam site are the strongest support. Seeing familiar teachers gives them a sense of security and confidence.
"Kids arriving at the exam room on time and entering smoothly is the first step to succeeding." Chai Xueping said. In her view, the greatest significance of teachers coming to test sites to see them off is to accompany them. Simple greetings and face-to-face encouragement help students set aside distractions and walk into the exam room with ease.
A blessing sign, cheers of encouragement. More than ten years of teaching, year after year delivering exam results. Chai Xueping and many frontline teachers stand firm beyond the exam room, conveying hopes through the simplest actions, hoping that every student who has studied hard can maintain a calm mindset, perform steadily, and write with flourishing words to realize their dreams this summer.
In front of the Lanzhou No. 1 High School exam site, the escort teacher Xu Qian stood out in a cheongsam, symbolizing the beautiful meaning of the outfit to pray for students to "start victorious." Looking toward the exam room, she repeatedly reminded the children to keep a calm mindset: "I hope everyone stays calm and answers carefully. After finishing the paper, be sure to check each question individually, and don't leave regrets due to carelessness." "Considering the subsequent application process, she also thoughtfully reminded parents and candidates after the exam to fully consider their child's interests and hobbies, rationally choose their major, institution, and city of study, and make reasonable plans. She wished all 2026 candidates success and fully pursued their dreams."
Nearby, several exquisitely shaped zongzi sachets attracted many glances. Teacher Liu, both the exam teacher and the student's parent, is showing off this handmade little gift with her companions. This year's college entrance exam is approaching the Dragon Boat Festival, and as two beautiful days meet, everyone thinks of expressing their feelings through zongzi sachets. The word "zongzi" sounds like "middle," symbolizing that students will achieve success on the top roll and succeed in one go. Starting June 1st, Teacher Liu and two other parents began making sachets by hand, using their spare time to sew stitch by stitch, working hard until June 5th, handcrafting more than ten sachets. These sachets, carrying beautiful hopes, were delivered to the students on the day of the exam, passing on good luck and blessings to the children.
"A small sachet is a token of our heartfelt care." Teacher Liu smiled and said, wishing all candidates a smooth and smooth exam, with a bright and promising future.
The whole city unites with strong support
At 9 o'clock, the crisp bell rang right on time, officially marking the start of the 2026 college entrance exam. Inside the exam room, the writing is powerful and the pursuit of dreams is in full swing; outside the exam hall, the city's protection never ceases. Community grassroots workers, medical and power support personnel, caring enterprises, youth volunteers, and other forces are all in position, each fulfilling their duties, providing refined and caring services to weave a comprehensive and warm safety protection network for the college entrance exam.
Outside the Lanzhou Foreign Language Senior High School exam site, staff from Shawahe Community in Yannan Subdistrict arrived early and made meticulous arrangements, coordinating with power support, medical services, and caring local enterprises to build a comprehensive exam protection system, laying a warm and safe defense line for candidates to take the exam smoothly and for parents to wait patiently.
According to community staff member Li Yang, to create a quiet, comfortable, and orderly exam environment, the community launched a special "silent exam protection" campaign a week in advance. Through both online and offline channels such as WeChat group notifications and building posting notices, the Noise Reduction and Exam Prevention Initiative was widely distributed, actively urging residents in the jurisdiction to consciously reduce daily noise and regulate daily routines, jointly safeguarding a quiet environment for students preparing for exams.
On the eve of the college entrance exam, staff proactively connected with caring local enterprises, stockpiling sufficient drinking water, heatstroke prevention medicines, emergency supplies, and other supplies in advance to fully support parents' rest needs and frontline staff's duty needs. At the same time, community grid workers transformed on-site into "traffic guides," actively cooperating with traffic police to manage pedestrian and vehicle flow around exam sites, patiently advising passing vehicles to honk and slow down, regulating exam site order and eliminating interference hazards in small ways, fully safeguarding the smooth and orderly progress of the college entrance exam.
At the exam site, a group of college student volunteers in red vests stood vigorously and warmly, becoming the most eye-catching sight among the exam guards. Guan Run, a freshman from Lanzhou University of Technology, arrived early with his classmates at the exam site, holding inspirational slogans such as "Guaranteed success in the college entrance exam" and "Living up to your youth, a promising future," quietly waiting, warmly encouraging, and using youthful energy to cheer on students heading to the exam site.
From once a candidate buried at their desk to now a warm-hearted volunteer, her role has quietly changed, but her passion for pursuing dreams and sincere original intention remain unchanged. College student volunteers spread warmth and strength through their actions, sincerely wishing all college entrance exam candidates a calm mindset, composure, steady performance, and making the most of their years of hard study and passionate youth. (Staff reporters Liu Baoli and Zhou Yanwen; trainee reporter Zhang Jing (text/photos)