ABSTRACT

The US media frequently showcases China’s test-preparation madness. In 2014, images circulated of cramming Chinese youth hooked up to intravenous drip bags hung on chrome poles. Students in cram factories, private test-prep institutions preparing for the national college entrance exam, received hydration and nutrients from these IV drips in order to avoid wasting time eating and drinking. The images did not make clear how students, who were too focused on cramming to eat or drink, would be taking care of the excretive results. The outcomes of the exams determine placement at elite universities and then coveted jobs, or regional colleges and less auspicious employment, or a life of sweeping the streets. In 2015, images appeared of Chinese military style drones being flown by the government over students taking these high stakes tests to detect mobile transmissions from high technology cheating devices, such as purloined cell phones, eyeglasses modified with computer chips, and secreted screens.