Eat a “cheer-up meal,” filled with love and encouragement! As the college entrance exam approaches, Shenzhen Bao’an Middle School (Group) High School Division introduced “985 meal tickets,” allowing senior students and their parents to eat freely in the cafeteria and share the moment together!
985 meal tickets
“985 meal tickets” refers to a humorous Chinese internet meme comparing the cost of a university meal plan to university entrance exam scores. The term plays on the fact that 985 is the highest score on China’s gaokao exam, associated with top-tier “Project 985” universities, while a meal ticket costing 9.85 yuan (about $1.40) is seen as a bargain. This phrase highlights the cultural contrast between academic prestige and everyday student life, often used to poke fun at the pressures of elite education.