COMING OF AGE: A teenager in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, jumps hurdles on May 4, China's Youth Day, at a ceremony to celebrate adulthood, attended by over 100 people who were born in 1990

September 14 was the 18th birthday of Zhang Zhaoyu from Sichuan Province. He is a new student at Peking University, one of the most prestigious universities in China. It was an important day for Zhang, entering both adulthood and higher education.

"I have thought much about being an adult," he said. "I just want to study hard and learn as much as I can during my four years stay at Peking University."

Born in 1990, Zhang was the only person accepted by Peking University this year because of his ability to play bridge.

"We never imagined that he could enter Peking University by playing bridge," said his parents, who are fans of the game.

Zhang attracted the attention of the bridge association of Peking University even before he went there to study. He spent his 18th birthday with new friends from the association, and he is likely to become its director soon.

Zhang chose geography as his university major. "I don't want to be a professional bridge player, and geography has always been my favorite major. I made the decision by myself," he said.

According to a survey conducted by Peking University, 71.3 percent of students revealed that they chose their majors by themselves, higher than the number last year, which was 69 percent. It is an indication that students born in the 1990s are more independent than the generation before them.

Yin Beibei, from Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, was born in 1990 but is still at high school preparing for the approaching college entrance examination. She has chosen to go to a training school in Beijing to study acting. Her parents could not understand her decision, but were persuaded to accept it.