College entrance exam attracts record numbers

China's annual college entrance exam attracted a record 10 million students this year, the South China Morning Post reported. Only 5.7 million places are available in the two-day National College Entrance Examination. The exams determine a student's admission to university, and doing well is seen as a way to drastically improve a student's fortunes later in life. Deng Xiaoping reinstituted the exam in 1977, after they were abolished for 11 years during the Cultural Revolution. The exam marks its 30th anniversary this year.