China's college entrance exam for 13 million students begins

China's national college entrance exam kicked off on Saturday with more than 13 million students taking part.

In the capital Beijing, traffic was restricted around exam venues where parents and volunteers were seen sending off exam candidates. The ratio of Chinese high school students advancing to higher education reached more than 60 percent in 2023, twice that of a decade ago. China's education ministry says around 13.35 million applicants registered for this year's exam. That is 70,000 fewer than last year's record high.