Universities are going to great lengths to showcase their unique characteristics and impress new students who are beginning to receive their admission packages.

Tsinghua University sent out its first round of admission letters on July 17. Along with a letter, a student guidebook and a bank card, Tsinghua's new entrants receive a book, Ordinary World, a novel by Lu Yao that is considered to be one of the most influential books in China.

President Xi Jinping showed an interest in the book in March, and Tsinghua President Qiu Yong recommended it to new students, hoping they would discuss it with their parents to better understand their elders' lives.