July 2026 is scorching, and students across the country are spending this long break in vastly different ways.
Here is a snapshot of the diverse summer experiences of Chinese students right now:
**Elementary school students:** Households dominated by "unleashed little monsters." These kids are enjoying pure bliss-scooping out watermelon in air-conditioned rooms, binge-watching cartoons, and splashing around in packed water parks. Their parents, however, are facing an "epic" challenge: balancing work while trying to fill the "childcare black hole" of this nearly two-month-long break. A new trend this year sees many parents ditching expensive study-tour groups in favor of "night schools" or "intangible cultural heritage craft classes"-prioritizing low costs and time-consuming activities that still look great on social media.
**Middle and high school students:** Just a change of venue for the "rat race." For these students, summer vacation is often merely a "third semester." Despite the ongoing "Double Reduction" policy, the pressure of the High School Entrance Exam and the *Gaokao* (College Entrance Exam) remains ever-present. Students about to enter their final year of middle or high school are likely already sitting in cram school classrooms, drilling through practice problems-albeit in rooms with stronger air conditioning than their regular schools. Meanwhile, those who have just finished their entrance exams are in a "zoning-out" phase-either riding high-speed trains on graduation trips or catching up on a year's worth of lost sleep at home.
**College students:** A pivotal life juncture. Their summer breaks are the most polarized: some are interning at top-tier hospitals or major tech companies to beef up their resumes for autumn recruitment; others are engaging in "special forces-style" whirlwind sightseeing tours across Western Sichuan, Xinjiang, or Southeast Asia; and still others are at home, enduring their parents' dramatic shift in attitude-from the initial "Our baby is home!" to the eventual "Why haven't you gone back to school yet?"
**A special group:** Incoming college freshmen. The most unique group this year consists of the students who have just finished the 2026 *Gaokao* and are awaiting their admission letters. They are living through "the most carefree summer of their lives"-free from homework and cram schools, filled only with boundless anticipation for their upcoming university years. However, they are about to face a "scorching summer dilemma": should they spend a small fortune on a "gaming laptop," or opt for a lightweight "office laptop" for college?