A recruiting official at a good university in Beijing, who preferred not to be named, believed the policy revision was introduced for a good cause and would benefit those with real passion and abilities in arts.

"The policy change poses greater challenges to students who choose the path, leaving less room for free riders," he said. "The most significant thing is that students can now enjoy and get the most out of the learning process. We expect those who devoted themselves to practice for years can benefit from the change."

The change is frightening away some students.

Liu Huiran, from Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, said she just treated the admission through arts troupes as an extra opportunity for university recruitment.

The 18-year-old, who has learned bassoon for two years and has just finished an arts troupe test with Peking University, said she knew that it might be impossible for her to compete with well-trained students from big cities, especially under a rising bar.

"If I fail, I will go back to prepare for gaokao just like my peers who don't have the opportunity," Liu said.

The change in the policy also brought pressure to some that have been preparing for a long time.

Yang Yanbei, a 17-year-old student from Beijing, said it seemed that the policy change made it more difficult for him to gain admission to dream universities, as the "standards in every university's admissions seem to be higher than before".

Yang has practiced the violin for 10 years and has just finished an arts troupe test with Peking University. "I'm pretty worried about the results," he said.

Yang said getting into a prestigious university through arts talent is by no means the fast track that some people think it is. It's as difficult as gaining admission through normal gaokao, because the candidates have to live through years of painstaking practice.

"Take me as an example, apart from five hours of orchestral rehearsal each week, I have to practice for at least eight hours a week during school days," he said.

Contact the writers at wangyanfei@chinadaily.com.cn and zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn