Reaching for the stars

A young applicant weeps at the gate of the Central Academy of Drama after missing the deadline for the interview.

Every spring these exams, especially those at the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama, are sure to make headlines. The aura of stellar potential and the images of good-looking young men and attractive young girls are major draws for public attention.

Reporters hound the school gates, along with the anxious parents of applicants.

In the chill winds of early spring, they both wait for the same group of people - the young aspirants inside.

Many youngsters have learned the importance of media attention even before they become stars. They are ready to show off their beauty, talent and courage before the cameras.

The stardom-seeking fever even generates peripheral industries.

Outside Beijing Film Academy on Feb 20, one day before the 2013 acting exam, there were about 10 vendors selling copies of the previous years' test questions all along a 50-meter stretch .

Five pages cost 30 yuan ($4.80), almost the price of a book. Books titled How To Be an Actor, and Entering Beijing Film Academy were also being waved about.

Preparation for yikao could start as early as three months before. Most applicants will attend so-called training classes for acting, which cost at least 5,000 yuan for a month.

The colleges do not appreciate or support this extra acting training, however.