Education is undoubtedly the single highest priority when it comes to Chinese parents and their children. They will go to great lengths and spend large sums of money in order to get their child the best possible education. One of the ways of doing this is to send their offspring to the US to further their education there. In order to get into American universities one needs to take the SATs, a standardised test done by all high school students in the US. Because China does not offer the SATs, every year sees thousands of mainland Chinese go to Hong Kong to sit SATs. In this translated article we see how this pilgrimage helps the Hong Kong tourist industry.

On the 25th, the Asia World Expo pavilions were packed, not because of a star-studded concert but because of the SAT test. Thousands of candidates sat in three pavilions while their parents waited outside the stadium, pacing back and forth for hours, or were being chatted up by the various private education companies that had set up booth outside.

The majority of students hail from mainland China, as there is currently no SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) centers on the mainland. It is common for students to take the exam a number of times and Hong Kong is usually the most convenient place to take it, but many also go to Taiwan or South Korea. 
There are many parents that want to send their children to study abroad so that they will, “enjoy learning.” A father and businessman from Harbin said that he believes that his son does not have the character needed for further studies in the mainland. He hopes that, at a foreign institution, his son would have a more relaxed environment to study in. 
However, the SATs come with a pretty hefty price. Ms. Wu from Wuhan said that although her daughter’s grades had already been good, her goal was to be admitted into the prestigious Stanford University in the United States, and for that she needed better scores than she had, and so Ms. Wu thousand of RMB on SAT preparation classes for her daughter, as well as the cost of taking the exam, and flying and staying in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong tourism booms come exam time
A mother and son who had travelled from mainland China’s say, including flights and board in Hong Kong, their expenses came to about 20,000 RMB. However, it seems their spending it not quite done, as the mother said she expected to spend a few million RMB buying clothing in Hong Kong. 
As more and more mainland Chinese go to Hong Kong to sit SATs, the exam has also become a way for Hong Kong to boost tourism, retail and other industries. Families head to the island with SAT preparation books as well as empty suitcases, which they plan on filling to the brim.

A family who traveled from Harbin said that they had seen the test as an excuse to travel to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. In addition to the costs related to the SAT test, the family plans on spending several million Hong Kong dollars on a tour of Hong Kong and the surrounding areas. For them it is a nice chance to spend Chinese New Year in a warm climate.