There was a nationwide rush for admission to Beijing's Central Conservatory, and Tan was one of 400 candidates competing for just a handful of places in the conservatory's composition department.
文革結束，被積壓了十年的音樂人才乍時釋放了出來，來自各省，萬中選一的音樂人都想進入北京中央音樂學院。對音樂充滿興趣的譚盾也是四百個經篩選過的應考人之一，其中只有八人將被率取，競爭之激烈，不言而明。