PICTURES have emerged allegedly showing Chinese schoolchildren hooked up to intravenous drips as a study aid ahead of the country's notoriously difficult university entrance exams.

Students at Xioagang high school in Hubei province have reportedly been using the drips, filled with amino acids, in yet another example of how children are pushed to succeed at the highest level.

Gao Pingqiang, a school official, told The China Daily that the drips had become popular with children as there were no adverse health effects.

"The school will not suspend the injection and we will continue if students want it," he said.

The dreaded exam, which is compared to "the stampede of 10,000 horses trying to cross a single log bridge", is known as the "black" month among students.

Each year there are reportedly suicides before and during the exams. One third of students are excluded from university as a result.

Some of the questions in the exams can be baffling. In 2010, one 800-word essay question asked: "Why chase mice when there are fish to eat?"

Telegraph.co.uk