A high school in Handan, Hebei province, said the military tanks at its gate that have caused controversy since they were unveiled on Tuesday are there for patriotic education.

"The tanks are aimed at enhancing students' sense of patriotism," Guo Hong, chairman of Handan Branch of Hengshui No 1 High School, was quoted as saying by thePaper.cn.

Guo added that the private school also plans to establish an educational base for national defense.

According to Guo, the tanks - a Type-69 main battle tank and a Type-62 light tank - are retired military equipment, and their weapons systems were removed before the school bought them.

The tanks symbolize the spirit of conquest and courage, an article on the school's website said, adding that it was hoped they would inspire military discipline in the students.

According to the article, the tanks are numbered 985 and 211, representing Project 985 and Project 211, key national projects launched in the 1990s to establish a number of world-class universities and colleges.

The two projects were replaced by the "Double Top" plan last year to develop a batch of world-class higher education institutions and disciplines.

The tank numbers are a way of telling students that they can aspire to admission at universities and colleges after taking the gaokao, the national college entrance examination, a staff member at the school told thePaper.cn.

The school is a branch of Hengshui No 1 High School, a private school founded by a real estate development company and Hengshui High School, known nationwide for its success in preparing students for gaokao.

"It's very funny, but this also reflects the fierce competition among students for the gaokao," Hu Xijin, chief editor of Global Times, said in a post on Sina Weibo.

There's no problem for the school to have high hopes for its students, but parking tanks at a school is like a superstition that can easily mislead the students, an article published on hebnews.cn said.