Final sprint on the ground

From late April, high schools across the country started to reopen for senior students like Zhou and he felt relieved to finally return to school. "I wanted to go back to the classroom because I have been stuck at home for such a long time. It was boring and tedious," he says.

However, things are not exactly the same on campus. The hot summer is approaching, but air conditioning is not allowed on for safety reasons. Students are required to wear masks at Zhou's high school, which feel hot and uncomfortable, making it harder to concentrate.

He can no longer have the lunch of his choice in the cafeteria, but has to eat from the lunchbox sent to the classroom. Boarders are restricted from leaving the campus.

The 40 students that Xu teaches are split into two classes to reduce the density. The school has managed to install cameras to live broadcast Xu's instruction in one classroom to the other.

"I have taught five graduate classes for five years. This year the students' grades are more polarized-some have done better after three months of studying at home, but some have done more poorly," she says.

Besides teaching chemistry, Xu is also a class supervisor and she often holds meetings with students and communicates with their parents.

"Some students complain about their fate and blame the pandemic, but I tell them that there is always a silver lining to everything, and this special year is actually a precious year in their lives, like a treasure, when they look back on it in the future," she says.

Ni Jingru, a student of the High School Affiliated to Fujian Normal University, says she feels lucky to have an extra month to prepare for the exam. "It gives me more time to review my study, making me feel more relaxed," Ni says.