Testing mettle: Students appear for art college exam

A girl waits for the admission test at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing on February 26, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

Art colleges held their annual admission tests across China on February 26, 2015. Thousands of students apply to Chinese art colleges every year with their dreams to become actors, musicians, dancers and painters.

The competition is especially fierce in the country's top art colleges like The Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama.

About nine million applicants take the national college entrance exam - known as the gaokao - every year and around 10 percent apply for places at art colleges.

The Beijing Film Academy, whose alumni include award-winning director Zhang Yimou, saw 24,626 compete for the 489 seats.

And the Central Academy of Drama, once attended by actress Gong Li, received applications from over 27,000 students for 580 seats.