Such is the logic that surrounds the gaokao, the university entrance exam that all students are technically required to take. The exam is a major event, if not the event, in the Chinese school calender, and it determines the future of nearly 8 million high schoolers.
Those who don't have the money have to rely on cheating, others can bribe their way through school, and there's no better time to do it than on Teacher's Day. Winning accolades during your time at school is a great way of impressing university interview panels, and parents will do almost anything to make sure that their child gets as many gongs as possible.
"I'm worried that if I do not send a gift, my daughter will perhaps suffer unjust treatment by her teacher," said the mother on condition of anonymity.
She heard a story from a friend about a student whose parents did not send gifts to a teacher and later failed to win the Outstanding Student title when the teacher decided to hold elections while the student was on sick leave.
The Ministry of Education has repeatedly pointed out that giving teacher any kind of gifts isn't allowed, but that hasn't stopped parents taking time out of their schedules to personally deliver presents for their little darling's educator. Beijing Traffic Police have alerted Beijingers that traffic is expected to be heavier than usual because of all the eager mums and dads driving to school to make sure that gifts are hand delivered to the right person.
The teachers are placed in a tricky position. If they refuse anything, they fear that people will look down on them, but if they accept then they wrestle with their inner demons, although probably not for long, but they do feel a pang of guilt. Probably. Gift cards on Taobao, ranging from a humble 200RMB voucher up to 1000RMB have been especially popular this year, mostly because the cards draw less attention than conspicuous boxes of perfume.
Du Jinxia, a teacher at a privately-owned primary school, said she received cosmetics last year and gift cards this year.
"Parents will be more worried if I decline the gifts. They may think that I look down on the gifts. If I accept gifts I will feel uncomfortable," said Du.
"In my eyes, those vulgar gift cards are no match for greeting cards made by the students themselves," said Du, "I feel delighted when I receive them."
Teachers in Shanghai have been ordered to refuse presents when the big day rolls around, but when the benefits to the student are so obvious, it's a habit that's proving harder to break that some officials might think. The state of the Chinese education system is in such a pisspoor state that the only way to get students to perform well is to bribe the teacher with designer cosmetics, there's little hope for China to become a nation of innovators.
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