OU on the BBC: Chinese School - Programme 2: Young pioneers

Production team

In a country where it's rare to have a sibling, the pressure on school-age children is immense - and never more so than at exam time.

It's May and the heat of summer is setting in. The senior students face the all-important Gao Kao exams. Their results can mean the difference between poverty and prosperity for their entire extended family.

For star pupil Wu Yufei the stakes are extremely high. Her school – Xiuning Senior School - expects her to come in the top ten in the entire province, taking on over half a million students. The bustling town falls quiet; even building sites are closed down, so that everyone can concentrate on exam success.

Meanwhile at Ping Min Primary School eight year old Cheng Chao is looking forward to becoming a Young Communist Pioneer.

China’s one child policy sets Cheng Chao apart from his classmates – he's one of only five pupils at the school who have an elder brother, something his parents risked everything for.

We meet Wu Lin, whose concern about the future of her country sees her researching the polluted river near her school while striving to win an English speech contest in the process.

Son of migrant worker parents Wang Jianwen is over the moon when a broken arm leads to a surprise from the city. Wang Lingqi is too cool for school and is more interested in hanging out with his girlfriend, but he knows if he doesn't knuckle down he'll end up working in his Dad’s motorcycle component factory, missing out on fulfilling his dream: to be a designer in the city.

First broadcast: Tuesday 8 Apr 2008 on BBC TWO

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