Today is the first day of the 3-day break for Dragon Boat Festival this year. THE Dragon Boat Festival will be from June 7 to 9, the State Council has said.

The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, which is June 8 this year. National holidays were changed from this year to include traditional festivals such as the Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn festivals. The week-long Labor Day holiday in May was cut to one day this year to make way for other festivals. The change means there are now 11 paid holidays per year instead of 10.

You can see more about the holiday from Shanghaidaily website: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200805/20080522/article_360438.htm.

And today is also the first day of the annual national college entrance exam. Starting Saturday, a record 10.5 million Chinese youngsters will sit for the three-day annual exam this year, the largest of its kind in the world. Success in the exam, also know as "gaokao", can change a candidate’s life in this fiercely competitive society.

You can see more pictures about this exam from China Daily website: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/07/content_6744828_2.htm.

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