Gaokao kicks off in Jilin

Glutinous rice cake -- a traditional Korean dessert made of sweet rice filled with bean-paste -- is put beside the gate of No 1 High School of Yanbian, Jilin province, to encourage and cheer for examinees taking the gaokao, China’s university entrance exam. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

Traffic police direct vehicles bringing examinees to park in an orderly way outside Changchun No 2 Experimental High School. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

A medical emergency team of the Red Cross sets up a booth at the gate of Jilin Experimental High School. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

To guarantee a safe gaokao, 22 policemen are assigned to every examination site; the groups of officers include two in plain clothes, two traffic policemen, two who carry guns, and two in charge of verifying the identities of examinees. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

Teachers stand outside an examination site to help students with registration and to make sure they can easily find their exam classroom. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]