After this year's national college entrance exams, Gan Fubao will have collected all 40 exam papers since the gaokao resumed in 1977.

The 70-year-old from Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, holds a deep affection for the exam.

The exam was disrupted by the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) and its reintroduction by then leader Deng Xiaoping was a clear signal that times had changed.