Chinese Students Cramming for Exams Hooked to IVs Spark Controversy

China appears to say "learning until you drop " has taken on some quite literally , as the photos show students receiving amino acid IV drips as they hit the books during a late night study sessions for exams in college .

Have you where you are studying too hard ? Well unless you've ever needed for intravenous medication to keep from passing out or collapsing due to excessive study , you have it pretty good compared to the young students at a high school in Xiaogan , Hubei province in central China . Pictures taken late one night , and posted on the popular Sina Weibo Chinese site , show a bright -lit classroom full of students studying the National College Entrance Exam , commonly known as " Gao Kao " . Will the students be buried with piles of books , with dozens of IV bag hanging from the line traversing the classroom .

Uploaded two days ago , the picture was shared by thousands of students and went viral on the Chinese interwebs . Asked about the situation , Mr. Xia , director of the Office of Academic Affairs , said only IVs delivered amino acids to restore the health of the students ' . "The state gives 10 yuan subsidy for amino acids to each graduating senior who participated in the Gao Kao ( National College Entrance Exam ) . Any students who do not feel well can go to the hospital and make amino acids IV drip , " said Xia . And because the hospital school is full of students requiring medical attention , thought the school they want to perform session IV drip right in the classroom , to help students save time , instead of having them running back and forth between the hospital and the classroom .

The National College Entrance Examination or Gao Kao , viewed as a life - and - death turning point in the lives of students , senior high school , as it determines if they will be accepted through into their dream school and if they can go to college at all , regardless of their previous academic performances in high school . The test includes three compulsory subjects ( Mathematics , Chinese and English ) , with some optional , and take place on the 7th , 8th and 9 June This is just one of the Chinese version of the SAT , only the students apparently take it way more seriously there .

Actually I agree with the study is important as a poor student , but doing it to the point where really needed amino acids your body to cope with exhaustion seems a bit extreme .