Over the weekend, more than 10 million Chinese students took the  grueling college entrance exams, and the Beijing version of the test featured an essay question that was indirectly related to the ongoing trade war with the US. 

The topic of the essay question was Chinese civilization's enduring strength. Chinese civilization has gone through ups and downs and big events, but China is one of the few ancient civilizations that still exist today. History has proved China's endurance and resilience against external attacks.

The college entrance exams, known as the gaokao in Chinese, have changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people since they were resumed in 1977, and thus have a special place among Chinese people. 

Education is the engine of the economy, and the gaokao offers a window to observe basic education in China. As millions of Chinese high school students study non-stop for a year to prepare for the exam, sitting in class from 7 am to 9 pm, what are US students doing? They spend very limited time on basic science. The gaokao, one of the toughest tests in the world, is a reflection of Chinese students' endurance in arduous academic pursuits, which is an essential element for the development of basic science. A comparison of the gaokao and the US-based Scholastic Assessment Test reflects the advantage of Chinese students in basic science.

When those high school students grow up, many of them will adopt the "996" overtime schedule: working 12 hours a day from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. How did China establish its competitiveness in the manufacturing sector during previous decades? This achievement can be partly attributed to the hard-working spirit of Chinese people in labor-intensive industries, as well as research and development personnel and entrepreneurs. 

Many admit the basic education system in China is challenging but prepares high-quality students to enter college. Those Chinese students are China's talent reserve amid the ongoing trade war and technology battle, even though the country needs to continue to improve its higher education system.

The trade war is likely to evolve into a battle over economic endurance. Amid a growing technology row, talent is perhaps a determining factor. As millions of Chinese high school students sit the country's grueling college entrance examinations, they foster great economic endurance for Chinese civilization.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn