China: China readies rain response to protect millions taking college entrance exams.

Chinese authorities have taken a range of emergency measures across multiple regions to ensure that the millions of test takers can sit the annual national college entrance exam safely, as heavy rains threaten to disrupt the upcoming test in many parts of the country. The annual examination, known as the gaokao in Chinese, begins on Sunday. A total of 12.9 million Chinese students are set to sit this year's national college entrance exam, according to the Ministry of Education. The examination comes as several regions in southern China enter the peak summer rainy season, with some provincial-level regions including Hunan in central China, Jiangxi in east China and Guangxi in south China already battling persistent downpours since May. In the city of Huaihua in Hunan Province, where severe storms and thunderstorms are forecast for Sunday night and Monday, educational authorities have managed to move students from remote rural areas closer to their testing centers early enough. We offered accommodation to more than 90 students in the town ahead of the examination. We have also assigned teachers to stay with them throughout the period to help them rest and manage pre-exam anxiety said Chen Ping, an official at Huangxikou Nationalities Middle School in Chenxi County of Huaihua. In Shangyou County of Jiangxi Province, authorities have spared no effort to conduct risk assessments around test centers and low-lying areas, after torrential rains in mid-May flooded roads around two major examination centers. Local officials have established a "10-minute emergency response radius" around test centers, pre-positioning speed boats, heavy-duty water pumps, and other emergency equipment for handling possible flooding situations. In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, educational authorities have prepared umbrellas, set up temporary anti-slip matting, and covered walkways at test centers, while coordinating with local meteorological and hydrological authorities for real-time risk response. Shotlist: Huaihua City, Hunan Province, central China - June 5, 2026: 1. Aerial shot of cityscape; 2. Coaches driving on road; 3. School; 4. Students walking out of school; 5. Various of students getting on coach; 6. Various of coaches driving on road; 7. Students walking into hotel; 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Ping, official, Huangxikou Nationalities Middle School: "We offered accommodation to more than 90 students in the town ahead of the examination. We have also assigned teachers to stay with them throughout the period to help them rest and manage pre-exam anxiety."; 9. Various of students checking in hotel; hotel room; Shangyou County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, east China - June 2026 10. Aerial shot of county; 11. Sanitation worker cleaning road; 12. Staff worker of meteorological station at work; 13. Various of sanitation vehicles working; 14. Various of firefighters deploying boat; 15. Aerial shot of school; 16. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Yuanting, manager of business expansion department, Shangyou County Public Transportation Company (partially overlaid with shot 17): "We have deployed a total of 22 buses, including 12 dedicated shuttle buses and 10 express route buses for test takers, covering main routes across Shangyou. Candidates and their guardians can ride completely free of charge." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 17. Various of buses [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, central China - June 5, 2026 18. Various of campus, umbrellas; students; testing site; Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China - June 5, 2026 19. Aerial shot of school; 20. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wen Jian, deputy director, Liuzhou Education Bureau (ending with shot 21): "We have established a real-time early warning mechanism for rain and water levels, thoroughly inspected the drainage systems around all testing sites and designated nine sites as backup exam centers that can be immediately activated."; 21. Various of campus; facilities for examination; 22. Various of students studying in classroom. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]