Editor's Note:

Are you up on what the hundreds of millions of Chinese netizens are talking about? Take a moment and get the rundown of what's hot, what's trending, and what's drawing the most buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.

Debate flares over students expulsion for tearing up textbooks

A high school in Hanchuan, Hubei Province denied a report claiming that it expelled seven students for tearing up textbooks just ahead of the national college entrance examinations, or gaokao, the Beijing Times reported on Monday.

Officials at Hanchuan Experimental High School refuted a Chutian Metropolis Daily report on Thursday that they had expelled the students for shredding the books and flinging the paper from the school's fifth- and sixth-floor windows.

The newspaper reported the school had posted news of the expulsion on a campus bulletin board, adding that the school threatened to withhold the students' diplomas for the infraction. 

The school principal surnamed Lei later told the Beijing Times the previous announcement was posted merely as a warning to other students, and the incident would not affect their eligibility to take the gaokao, scheduled from June 7 to 8.

However, Lei accused the seven students of creating a disturbance and affecting the studies of fellow classmates.

The incident triggered heated discussions online. Many on social media called for the school to punish the students, while others showed understanding for students looking to let off a little steam.

"Tearing up textbooks when college entrance examinations are around the corner is a tradition in many high schools in China. It is understandable for some students to release pressure in this way," wrote a Sina Weibo user.