Zhang Han, the armless student ready to draw with his foot. Photo: Xinhua

Hundreds of students in east China’s Shandong Province were setting up easels to prepare for a drawing test, while one student struggled to take off his shoes and socks with his feet instead.

The sleeves of Zhang Han’s bright orange down jacket hung empty at his sides. Holding a pencil between two toes on his right foot, Zhang drew a bottle, a pot and other still life objects with confidence.

The high school graduate had his arms amputated after an electric shock when he was nine. He returned to school after one year in the hospital. Since then, he has learned to read, write, and paint, Zhang’s mother told reporters.

Zhang loves painting and design. He dreams of studying design in college, she added. Zhang is taking the art exam as an applicant to Shandong University of Art and Design.

A new round of art exams started in mid February across China. Candidates’ performance in these exams will serve as a criterion, along with their scores in regular college entrance exams, for admission to art schools at Chinese colleges and universities.

Competition for top art schools is fierce. Beijing Film Academy, for example, plans to recruit 437 students from a total of 30,400 candidates.