Take a PTE Academic test in or nearby China

About China

China is located at the east coast of the largest continent (Eurasia) as well as the western margin of the largest ocean (Pacific). It has a land area of about 9.6 million square km, occupying 6.5 percent of the total land area of the world. Its population of more than 1.3 billion accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world population.

Facts about China

Before you go study in China, we should first debunk the most famous, yet inaccurate, notion about it, and that’s: if you dig a big enough hole, you will exist through the desert the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote are chasing through. Well, no… you’ll probably exit in Argentina or Chile. Awesome, right?

Now, speaking of cartoon moments, you should also know that, in ancient China, soldiers used mannequins to lure enemies to shoot arrows at, and then used the mannequins to get a free supply of arrows. If you can picture a Chinese soldier holding a helmet on top of a stick and waving it around, you are allowed to laugh hysterically with me before we move on.

Now, let’s cover some interesting facts about the education in China. For instance:

• Female students in China outperform men to such an extent that some universities have introduced a male quota;
• Students can get 7 years in jail for cheating on exams;
• The oldest piece of paper in the world was found in China and dates back to the second or first century B.C. Paper was so durable, it was sometimes used for clothing and even light body armour. Remember to bring a really strong and durable backpack, ok?
• Pencils are yellow, because, in the 1890’s, the world’s best pencil graphite came from China. Here, the colour yellow is associated with royalty, so American pencil manufacturers started painting their pencils yellow, in order to indicate they contained high-quality Chinese graphite.
• In 2015, a Chinese woman who was missing for a decade and presumed dead was found living in an internet café, after playing games for 10 years. I know this isn’t necessarily a student fact, but come on: you kind of see the parallel here, right?

Also, some of the things you could say that happen only in China, not related to education, but that you should definitively know, are:

• The sun can rise as late as ten in the morning, because China, even though it’s a mammoth of a country, joined its five time zones;
• Also in China, it's illegal to use a wordplay or a pun in advertising or on television. Doesn’t that make you Tso sad?
• If you don’t believe in the butterfly effect, then this one is going to blow your mind: the air pollution in China increases or decreases the snowfall in California;
• Ending on a happier note: toilet paper was invented in the 1300s, in China. It was exclusively for the Emperor, so the term “sitting on the throne” makes so much sense, right now…

Frequently asked questions about PTE Academic in China

10 most popular study destinations for students in China