An examinee talks with his mother at an exam site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 8, 2023.

China's annual college entrance exam concluded on Thursday in some parts of the country. The exam, also known as the "gaokao," saw a record 12.91 million candidates sign up this year. [Xinhua/Hu Xingyu]

An examinee hugs her mother at an exam site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Hu Xingyu]

Relatives of examinees wait outside an exam site in Suiyang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Yang Ying]

Examinees pose for photos outside an exam site in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Tao Liang]

Examinees run out of an exam site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Hu Xingyu]

Examinees pose for photos outside an exam site in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Tao Liang]

An examinee poses for a photo with her relatives at an exam site in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Tao]

Examinees and their relatives pose for photos at an exam site in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Hu Xingyu]

An examinee is presented with flowers by his mother at an exam site in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Tao]

Relatives of examinees wait outside an exam site in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Li Xulun]

Examinees celebrate outside an exam site in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Tao Liang]

Examinees walk out of an exam site in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Nan]

A teacher greets his students outside an exam site in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Tao Liang]

Examinees walk out of an exam site in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Nan]

A teacher takes selfies with her students at an exam site in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Zhang Nan]

In this aerial photo, examinees walk out of an exam site in Suiyang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Yang Ying]

An examinee claps hands with her father at an exam site in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Li Yibo]

Examinees celebrate outside an exam site in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Tao Liang]

An examinee runs out of an exam site in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, June 8, 2023. [Xinhua/Huang Bohan]