Hangzhou Foreign Language School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hangzhou Foreign Language School (also known as HFLS, or 杭州外国语学校，杭外), is located in 299 LiuHe Road(留和路), Xihu District(西湖区), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Founded in 1964, Hangzhou Foreign Language School is one of the eight earliest foreign language schools in China that are designated to produce excellent high school graduates with special talents in English. However, it is more than just a language institution. It puts a lot of emphasis on how to provide students with an education that make them future talents of China or even the world rather than simply prepare them for the National College Entrance Examination (known as Gao Kao 高考). It is strong in both sciences and arts and it is now recognized as one of the most prestigious and highly-competitive high schools in China.

Admission
Hangzhou Foreign Language School has been the only school that is allowed to conduct entrance exams for graduating elementary school students in Zhejiang Province. During 1990s, the candidates were recommended by the elementary schools in Hangzhou (capital of Zhejiang Province) with quota of one student each class, normally the top student. Together with students recommended for their special talents in arts and music, around 1000 top students in the city sat in Mathematics and Chinese written exams, around 100 qualified for second stage interviews, and finally 80 students aged 13~14 were admitted, forming 2 classes in entering Junior One.
Due to pressure from other schools, HFLS's entrance exams evolve towards the form of pure interviews after 2000. The candidates pool is extended to all elementary schools in the province and both the candidates quota and number of admissions become larger, now recruiting 11~12 classes each year.
The myth of HFLS exam is a perennial topic among parents of the best graduating elementary students in Hangzhou City. Many labeled this entrance exam as the most important exam in their education.