thousands of troops killing to get across a single log bridge

Last week was the gao kao - the two day exam that all Chinese students must sit if they want to get into university. In China, it's a HUGE deal.
Last Monday, I was getting the bus back to Danfeng from Xi'an and once we got into town the bus stopped on the outskirts and the conductor burbled something to me. I realised that, for some reason, the bus wasn't going any further but I had no idea why. Anyway, as I grabbed my bags and began to walk home, I realised that there were police blocks on all the main streets in town (which was obviously why the bus couldn't go any further.) Why the roads were blocked, I still couldn't understand. The next day at work, I was told that it was so the students could sit the exams in peace - without the constant noise pollution that is inevitable in China.
Here, most students in their final year in high school will literally study from 6.30am until midnight every day. Parents commonly take a few months off work in the run up to the exams to cater to their child's every need (cooking, cleaning etc) so that their child can spend every second of their waking lives studying without other interruptions. (If someone is there to cook their meals, they can keep studying while they eat!)
Also the next day, I read a few stories in the China Daily about the exams - some amusing, some sad.
In Beijing, a mother was driving her daughter to the exam when her car broke down. There was only 50 mins till the exam started so, panicking, she called 110 (the UK equivalent of 999.) Not only did the police NOT tell her to stop wasting police time, they arrived at the broken down car within 5 minutes to drive her daughter to the exam - lights flashing and sirens blaring! That's how important the exams are in China.
There were also a few sad stories of 17 year olds committing suicide minutes before the start of the exam as they were afraid they would let their families down. In China, education is hugely important and seen not only as something to be desired by the individual but also a way of improving the status and lifestyle of the whole family. Chinese children don't study for themselves alone - which obviously puts added pressure on them in the run up to this most crucial moment of their lives. In contrast, once you're in University (so my Chinese friends tell me) you can relax as, no matter what you do, you're almost guaranteed to emerge with a degree.

The title of this entry is a common saying in China to describe the exam. It is, literally, the most important moment in a Chinese person's life and is frequently perceived as the only route to a successful future...