Programme 3: Hard beginnings
Programme four
Sports day - and events planned for Beijing - set our schools alive with Olympic fever.
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Discover more about the themes of the series with our handpicked tips for taking it further.
It's the start of a new academic year as we reach the third programme in the Chinese School series.
For eighteen year old Wu Yufei, a new life awaits at one of the most prestigious universities in China. But, before she can start her studies, Wu Yufei must endure seventeen days of compulsory military training.
It's also a hard beginning for the infants at Ping Ming Primary School. Each child has been hand-picked to receive free education at the charity-run boarding school. But learning to live without your parents - when you're only seven years old - isn't easy.
And for the students enrolling at the county's best school, the new term represents the start of a rigorous daily schedule which starts at 5.30am and doesn't finish until 9.40pm, in preparation for the pressures of the National College Entrance Exam.
Content last updated: 05/02/2008
