Tears, laughter hallmark unforgettable experience

Zhang Hui, 18, graduate from Qingdao Experimental High School, Shandong province

High school passed in the blink of an eye, and even the fate-deciding gaokao was safely navigated. Rather than calling the gaokao a turning point in life, it's more accurate to say that the transformation during high school shaped a better version of myself.

After the gaokao, with all burdens lifted, I found myself in a haze of uncertainty: no homework, no vocabulary lists, no daily schedules. Only when we could finally reflect without restraint did I realize that grades were merely a drizzle in the three-year journey.

When the gaokao scores were released, I achieved my best result in three years, ranking fifth place among all calligraphy art students in the province. Amid the joy, another thought surfaced: Thankfully, grades weren't the only thing I gained.

As a calligraphy arts student, my high school experience included an unusual chapter: intensive training in calligraphy. Some might think arts exams are a shortcut to get into good universities, but only those who've endured them know their difficulty. Rising early and staying late just to perfect a single brushstroke, skipping meals to finish assignments, memorizing hundreds of traditional and seal-script characters daily.

With this result, I plunged back into academic studies. Textbooks untouched for half a year felt utterly foreign. Anxiety resurfaced, but as countdown days shortened and exams piled up, I realized senior year's pace left no time for worry — lessons and tests propelled you forward.

Was it exhausting? Absolutely. Stress might urge tears, yet before wiping them away, I remembered that there are unsolved math questions.

Yet happiness in senior year was magnified, too: deep sleep during a few minutes' break, a favorite dish in the cafeteria, sharing snacks in the dorm. These fragments pieced together a year shattered by pressure, creating its most beautiful memories.

After the gaokao, the same snacks at home couldn't match the dorm's flavor, the comfiest bed couldn't replicate the satisfaction of a classroom nap.

Having practiced calligraphy for over 12 years, entering my dream university through it feels profoundly fortunate.

In university, I hope to refine my skills while adapting calligraphy to modern life — making this millennia-old romance of Chinese hearts truly part of everyday existence. I refuse to let calligraphy remain confined to museums. I want it to breathe in daily life. The road is long but bright; calligraphy's depths await us all.

I'm equally excited for campus clubs — skateboarding, swimming, skiing — sports I love but never had time for. Beyond studies, I crave diverse experiences. To future roommates: let's encourage each other and share a wonderful university life.

Zhang Hui spoke with Zou Shuo.