Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news

A record number of people from across China will sit for this year's entrance examinations to postgraduate schools over these weekends, according to the nation's education authority.
Citing the Education Ministry, today's Eastday.com said 1.17 million candidates are expected to take the two-day tests, an increase of 227,000, or nearly twenty-five percent, over the previous year.  This is also the highest number since 1978, the first year that the country restored the higher education system and reopened the university entrance examinations.
Slightly more than half of the competitors, or 605,000, are recent university graduates, while the rest have more than one year's work experiences.
Just under one-third of the candidates will gain entrance to postgraduate programs because China plans to enroll a total 370,000 to its master's and doctorial programs in 2005, an increase of 10 percent over the previous year.
Education officials warn exam sitters against buying the so-called "authentic copies of this year's entrance tests" sold illegally on the black market.  These copies are fakes and simply cheat them of their money, they point out.
As well, officials urge competitors to complete the exams honestly and seriously.