A student taking gaokao (the national college entrance examination) in Sichuan Province has mystified test examiners with an essay that appears to be written in ancient Chinese characters, including oracle bone script.

Because the grading teacher was unable to read the essay, numerous historical experts have been contacted to help decipher those miniature symbols.

This neatly scripted essay used a variety of ancient Chinese characters, including oracle bone script used in the prehistoric Bronze Age (3300 – 1200 BC), bronze inscription script from the early Shang Dynasty (1600 – 1100 BC) to early Warring States period (475 – 221 BC), large seal script in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 – 771 BC) and early Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 – 256 BC).

People are split as to whether the student is truly a genius or a hoaxer who is simply imitating ancient styles.

Experts in Sichuan University have “translated” the mystery student's prose into simplified characters. Unfortunately, the student is given a low score.

Chengdu Evening News