But when Cai says she goes to Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School - the city's only all-girl high school - she becomes the centre of attention.

"They are surprised to have a student from an all-girl school sitting with them and look at me as if I am a strange person," Cai said with a smile. "They tell me they don't think I look like I'm from a girls-only school as if that would be high praise to me."

The school, at 155 Jiangsu Lu, is something of a curiosity to other local students. Without permission, no one - especially boys - can gain admission to the walled school through its elegant white gate. Passers-by can glimpse only some of the school's rooftops, white walls and ancient-style windows.

The school's girl students are regarded as unique in Shanghai because their place of learning is totally boy-free.

'Aristocratic' schools

Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School (its predecessors being St. Mary's Hall, founded in 1881, and McTyeire School, founded 1892), is a "key" school.

Before liberation in 1949, its two predecessors were known as schools for "aristocrats". Most of the students in the old days came from rich families, or families with a high social status.

Their most famous ex-students were the Soong sisters - Madam Soong Chingling, her elder sister Ailing and younger sister Meiling.

In those days, middle-class families saved all their money just to send their daughters to one of the "aristocratic" schools where they could learn how to become elegant ladies skilled in English and music and to be taught how to be a "nice" wife.

The concept of a school for girls only is still favoured by today's parents. During the school's enrollment period last year, the original six classes for a grade were enlarged to 12 to cope with the number of students applying for admission. Today, more than 2,500 girls are enrolled at the school.

Graceful graduates

Xu Yongchu, the school's principal, said the high enrollment was due to the school's excellent reputation for high-quality education. Almost all its graduates go onto university study with three-quarters of them entering "key" universities. It is said that "to be enrolled in the school equals being enrolled in a university".

"Before, an all-girl school aimed at cultivating an ambassador's wife, but now we tell our students to be an ambassador themselves," Xu said.

Unlike other schools, grace and elegance are also part of the school's ethos. The school aims to turn out graceful, intelligent and open-minded young women of ability and integrity. A graduate student's basic characteristics should be independence, ability, care and elegance.

"I still remember my teacher Han Shizhen, who was deputy principal, once warning us not to eat apples or other snacks when walking in the street because it is not elegant," said Rio Xie who graduated from the school in 1995.

"I think in other schools, teachers may not care about such things."

Confident girls

A grade-two student Fan Hong said: "In an all-girl school, we are more willing to express ourselves and be independent because we needn't care about boy classmates' comments." Without any boys around to help, Fan and her classmates were carrying out a chemical experiment, dissecting a grasshopper, cleaning the classroom and playing basketball all by themselves.

Principal Xu said: "There is always controversy about whether all-girl schools are necessary. There are advantages and disadvantages in an all-girl school, but considering the social demand for them and successful experience around the world, from my point of view, all-girl schools are good value."

Many surveys about how girls learn have been conducted in the US and they show that boys at co-educational schools tend to dominate a debate instead of girls. Boys are singled out for attention by teachers more often than girls. Boys are not afraid to have a guess at answers, while girls want to answer only when they are sure they will be correct.

"The same situation exists here. In co-educational schools, girls are more easily over-shadowed by boys," Xu, who used to work in co-educational schools, said. "It is not fair. So an all-girl school can focus more easily on a girl's education and provide full opportunities for her."

Teachers from Shanghai No. 3 Girls High School are proud that most of their students can express their own views about study, society and even love freely and fearlessly.

"They are confident. We even have to suggest to some of them not to be too aggressive when they sometimes look down on boy students," Xu smiled.

Graduate student Su Min, now 26 who was at the school for six years still believes her six years there were the happiest in her life.

"Everything was so pure in the school, no disgusting competition and no gossip and I still stay in contact with my middle schoolmates," she said.

Puppy love

But Su also has one regret: she didn't have any experience of contact with boys. "I remember I almost didn't talk with boys during that period. When I met boys from other schools, I felt too shy to talk with them," said Su, who now has to interview many strangers in her work as a writer.

"Now when I read stories or watch television about teenagers having romantic affairs, I admire them a lot. My teenage years are a blank in matters involving the opposite sex," Su said. "Sometime, I even wish that I had had a puppy love!"

Fan Hong, 16, the school's star student, said she also wished the school had a more open environment.

"I think it would be better for us to have contact with boy students just like the girls in other schools because we will have to be in contact with different people in the future. But I don't think it is a big problem."

She went on to list the success stories of her graduate schoolmates. All have been successful at university and in their jobs. "See, it depends on ourselves. Being an all-girl school or not is not an issue."

But she admitted that when students from other schools talked about things happening between girl and boy classmates, she also felt interested.

Mixing girls and boys means many stories are bound to happen. It is also the reason some parents send their daughters to the all-girl school, because it is safer, according to Xu.

The strict policing of the all-girl school is well-known. The doorman will check every stranger, especially young boys. "It is our regulation: all the students are young girls and we should be responsible for their safety," the doorman said.

"There are so many key schools in the city, why did I insist on sending my daughter to the all-girl school? I just wanted to prevent any outbreak of puppy love!" said a mother surnamed He.

She is very satisfied with the decision she made for her daughter who has now finished her six years of study in the school and gone on to a key university.

"I have seen many students strolling hand in hand and sometimes even kissing in the street. How can they study well? How can they go to a good university? Puppy love will ruin a child," she said.

"If I have another daughter, I will send her to the all-girl school. It is a really good school."

(Shanghai Star March 10, 2003)