Four gaokao vignettes: Red envelopes, regards from the universe...

Some interesting and touching incidents took place in and out of examination halls as the national college entrance exam unfolded on Tuesday and Wednesday, Zhao Xinying reports.

A screen shot of the Sina Weibo account for Stephen Hawking.

'Regards from the whole universe'

Physicist Stephen Hawking cheered on Chinese gaokao test takers by posting on Weibo, a major micro blog platform in China.

"As many of you prepare to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, I want to wish you, the next generation of scientific minds, success in your academic endeavors. This culmination of your hard work marks just the beginning of your very bright futures," he said in a post on Monday.

The post won more than 420,000 "likes" from followers, with one netizen leaving a comment saying, "It's like receiving regards from the whole universe".