From 1995, Hengshui High School in Hebei became a closed, quasi-military boarding school. Its university admission rate soon rose to the top of the province. In 2014, 104 of its students were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking universities.
Students rise at 5:30 and begin running drills on the sports field at 5:40. Talking, turning around or drinking water during study periods costs points or brings a disciplinary notice. The “Hengshui model” is highly controversial.