Tears, laughter hallmark unforgettable experience

Zhang Hui, 18, graduate from Qingdao Experimental High School, Shandong province

High school passed in the blink of an eye, and even the fate-deciding gaokao was safely navigated. Rather than calling the gaokao a turning point in life, it's more accurate to say that the transformation during high school shaped a better version of myself.

After the gaokao, with all burdens lifted, I found myself in a haze of uncertainty: no homework, no vocabulary lists, no daily schedules. Only when we could finally reflect without restraint did I realize that grades were merely a drizzle in the three-year journey.