(260607) -- BEIJING, June 7, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Parents wait outside a national college entrance examination site in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, June 7, 2026. Some 12.9 million people across China sat for the annual college entrance exam, or gaokao, on Sunday, a pivotal milestone for generations of young Chinese. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)