Introduction
In 2023, nearly 13 million candidates registered for and participated in the National College Entrance Examination, or Gaokao (Yueng & Zhu, 2023). In fact, for any Chinese student hoping to get into college in China, Gaokao is make-or-break. The stress is significant, and it's widely recognized throughout the nation. Families pause their routines for two days to ensure optimal conditions for their child. Communities urge residents to maintain quiet so students can focus. In certain areas, there's a noticeable presence of police escorting those taking the tests (Loh, 2023). In Chinese culture, it is commonly said that “Gaokao is a test that changes one's fate,” but whether it promotes educational equality in China deserves scrutiny (Yuan, 2017). Using philosophical scholars’ research, this essay critically examines the extent to which the role of Gaokao aligns with the principle of educational equality. It accomplishes this by elucidating the ideal fairness principle of the Gaokao from the perspectives of scholars and conducting a comprehensive analysis of how regional disparities challenge the exam's capacity to guarantee equal access to higher education opportunities.
 
“Ideal Fairness Principle” of Gaokao
The ideal fairness principle within the Gaokao hinges on the fundamental concept of equal opportunity. Philosophy PhD candidate Zhang Hesheng from Zhongnan University analyzes the ideal principle of the Gaokao from the perspective of “arete”. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, "arete" refers to "the goodness or virtue connected with performing a function" (Oxford, n.d.). Therefore, in the context of standardized tests, like Gaokao in China, "arete" refers to their ability to fulfill their purpose effectively. According to Zhang Hesheng, “In China, these tests are expected to serve a specific function, which is to offer equal opportunities for advancement.” (Zhang, 2013). Morever, this argument is extended by Professor Caichun from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, who argues that standardized tests distinguish themselves from other forms of assessment and selection methods by providing fair promotion due to their ability to eliminate the constraints and influences of non-competitive factors such as background, lineage, gender, race, belief, wealth, etc. Gaokao acknowledge the disparities among individuals stemming from innate talents and acquired abilities (Cai, 2011). Thus, theoretically, standardized tests demonstrate the just rationale of an equitable system (Zhang, 2013).
Zhang Hesheng proposed that this principle of ensuring fair equality of opportunity within the standardized testing system finds resonance in the views of American philosopher John Rawls, who articulated in his book A Theory of Justice that "the role of the principle of fair opportunity is to ensure that the system of cooperation is one of pure procedural justice" (Rawls, 1971). Rawls suggested that individuals should have equal opportunities to succeed based on their inherent abilities and willingness to utilize them, rather than being influenced by their social status or background (Stanford McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society). This concept of fair equality of opportunity serves as a guiding principle for the design of Gaokao. According to Zhang esheng's master thesis on the function of Gaokao, he contends that in modern society, while not everyone may have the chance to pursue higher education, the opportunity to compete for it should be a shared and equitable right for all (Zhang, 2008). Therefore, the scholars summarize the ideal fairness principle of the Gaokao as being grounded in the equality of opportunity.
 
The Implementation of Gaokao: Regional Disparity
While the most widely recognized main thrust of the college entrance examination is to motivate young people to strive and struggle for their dreams under the principle of fairness, regional disparity challenge the equality of the system.  In rural provinces and regions in China, educational attainment is notably lower, with limited access to quality education. (Smith, 2019). In fact, according to the research findings of the "Study on the Issue of Equity in Higher Education in China" project team, the proportion of rural students in high-ranking universities in China has been continuously declining since the 1990s. At Peking University, for example, the proportion of rural students has dropped from 30% to 10% (Chen, 2005).  Moreover, there are insufficient high-level institutions in rural regions. This idea is shown in China’s 211 projects, which aimed at increasing the number of high-level universities in China. According to Chris Hamnett, professor at King’s College London, most 211 projects are concentrated in the eastern regions, with the project building 67 universities in the eastern regions, as compared to the west’s 25 or the central region’s 24 (Hamnett 2019). These disparities highlight significant challenges in achieving equality of opportunity within the Gaokao system. From the perspective of the design of the college entrance examination：the policies, examination content, and standards are all based on the circumstances and academic levels of urban students (Jiang, 2005). This is highly disadvantageous for rural and remote areas with extremely limited educational resources, and it also exacerbates the disparities in access to higher education between urban and rural areas.
These feelings of regional inequality in the Gaokao are also echoed by students themselves. According to interviews conducted by Gierczyk and Diao, two faculty members of Social Science from University of Silesia in Katowice, with female participants who successfully passed the Gaokao and are enrolled in top universities in China, "feeling unfair about educational resources and regional differences" emerged as a prominent concern among the participants. Additionally, one interviewee remarked, "I think it's relatively fair in one province. Why do I say relatively? Of course, different districts have different educational resources. Students born in Beijing certainly have better access to teachers" (Gierczyk & Diao, 2021).These insights underscore the regional disparities in educational resources and opportunities within the Gaokao system which challenge the ideal fairness principle of Gaokao. 
 
Conclusion
This essay grappled with the extent of China's renowned National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) and whether if it achieves its vision of ensuring equal access to higher education opportunities across the nation by explaining the ideal Gaokao fairness principle from the scholar’s perspective and pointing out the problem in inequality in Gaokao caused by regional difference using statistics. While  Gaokao may satisfy ideals of fairness in theory, scholarly research and statistics show that immense regional disparities in educational resources and quality present challenges to fully realizing these principles in practice.