56-year-old Chinese self-made millionaire takes college entrance exam for 27th time

On June 7, candidates took the national college entrance exam in China, also known as the "gaokao". Among the tens of millions of candidates, there was one person who caught the attention of the Chinese media: self-made millionaire Liang Zhi.

Mr. Liang Shi reviews his lessons at home in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province in late May.

According to AFP, Mr. Luong is 56 years old this year and is taking the 27th gaokao. Previously, he worked as a manual worker in a factory until he started his own construction materials business and achieved success.

However, the dream of university still eluded him. The millionaire took his first exam in 1983 at the age of 16. Over the next four decades, he took the exam a total of 26 times but did not score enough to be admitted to the school of his choice.

In 1992, the authorities imposed an age limit of under 25, forcing Mr. Liang to give up his dream of going to university. However, in 2001, the rule was lifted, reviving the Sichuan businessman’s dream.

This year, he is trying to get into Sichuan University, one of China's top universities. "I hope this is the last time I have to take the entrance exam," Mr. Liang told The Paper.

Candidates prepare to take the exam in Jining city, Shandong province on the morning of June 7.

The businessman said that in order to compete with nearly 13 million candidates this year, he has been studying hard and living like an “ascetic monk” for the past few months. He wakes up at dawn to study and spends 12 hours a day studying. Mr. Luong said he wants to pass the university entrance exam and become an intellectual, and the thought of failing the exam makes him uncomfortable.

Many people online mocked him, saying he took the exam just to gain fame. "But what for? No one in their right mind would spend decades taking the gaokao just to make a fool of themselves," Mr. Luong said, joking that he had to give up drinking and playing mahjong during his exam preparation time.

Mr. Luong said his son, who took the exam in 2011, was not very supportive of his father taking the exam. "At first, he didn't agree, but now he doesn't care," he said. Mr. Luong said that if he passes the university entrance exam this time, he will play cards with his friends for 3 days and 3 nights as a celebration party to make up for the time he spent studying.

Xinhua News Agency cited data from the Chinese Ministry of Education as saying that 12.91 million candidates will take the gaokao in 2023, a record number and an increase of 980,000 compared to last year. This is the first exam since China adjusted its Covid-19 policies.

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