Yan Zhen/Shanghai Daily news

Fudan University held an entrance exam for foreign students applying to enter undergraduate programs over the weekend, the first time the school has required foreigners to take a written test before enrolling.
More than 430 foreign students sat the two-day test at Fudan's campus over the weekend, while another 60 took the exam in Singapore and Seoul - the first time the school has held an entrance exam abroad.
Students taking the exam in the city came from more than 20 countries, mostly in Asia, and all are proficient at speaking and reading Chinese.
The students aren't competing with locals for spots, but are battling for about 200 positions set aside for foreigners in 43 majors this year, university officials said.
"As the number of foreign students has been growing in recent years, holding academic exams to test applicants' abilities is a necessary part for our student quality control," said Wu Huizhen, director of Fudan's foreign students office.
The exam covered five topics - Chinese, English, math, arts and science - and each student was tested on two to four of the topics depending on which department they applied to enter.
Previously, foreign students were simply evaluated on their high-school transcripts, although they had to earn a certificate proving they have mastered Chinese language skills.
That practice is still widely adopted by most domestic universities.
"Simply looking at transcripts can lead to problems as some foreign students will fail to catch up with their Chinese peers due to their poor language skills or lack of knowledge in certain subjects," Wu said.
She said Fudan plans to double the number of foreign students on campus from the current 2,300 students to about 4,500 by 2010. At that time, foreign students are expected to account for 10 to 15 percent of the university's total student body.
Students who took the test yesterday said it was tougher than expected.
"It never occurred to me that the test will be so difficult. We were asked to do analysis of different Chinese stories, illustrative pieces and arguments," said Hwang Yun-ik, a South Korean who applied to Fudan's business department after studying Chinese in the city for one year.