Zhang Qian zhqcindy@163.com Thirteen students sat for the Japanese exam on Monday’s gaokao at Futian Foreign Languages School. Not many people realize that in addition to English, students can also choose from Japanese, Russian, German, French and Spanish as their language exam for the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). Though only a tiny portion of students take the Japanese exam every year, the number is steadily increasing. “This was the second year we have offered Japanese as a foreign language, and each year there are more students choosing Japanese over English as their gaokao language subject,” explained Pei Fei, the head of the foreign language department at Futian Foreign Languages School. Only 10 students took the Japanese exam for the gaokao last year. Pei said there are now 23 Grade 11 students studying Japanese while 38 Grade 10 students plan to take Japanese as their gaokao language exam in two years. Though Shenzhen students start learning English at very young age, not every one is keen on or good at learning the language. “For those who are not so good at English during their primary or middle school years, Japanese is an option for them,” said Pei. Pei also said that some students are extremely fond of Japanese manga, which is a strong incentive for them to learn Japanese. Choosing a foreign language other than English for the gaokao dates back a few decades to when Russian was a more popular foreign language, especially in northern China. English has been a gaokao test subject since 1984. Even though languages other than English are options for the gaokao, most schools across China only offer English as a foreign language. In Shenzhen, though, many of the foreign languages schools offer more language courses, as do a few public schools. “We encourage students to confirm their foreign language selection at Grade 10 and stick with it for the rest of their schooling because it would be difficult for them to catch up with the others if they switch languages later,” said Pei. | 