Now the race starts early, with an emphasis not on ideology but on the skills and experiences    the  children will need in the elite life they are expected to lead. In addition to early golf  training, which has become wildly popular, affluent parents are enrolling their children in  everything from ballet and private music lessons, to classes in horse riding, ice-skating, skiing  and even polo. (free registration required)

Over the summer I got into a conversation with a couple young, urban professionals in the office about they’re tradition of talking about they’re children during every break. One interesting point that stuck with me was that they, almost to a person, agreed that one of the strains of contemporary parenting was the societal pressure to be seen as a “good parent” by providing their children with everything that parents in their class level would deem to be important…you could say it is a Chinese version of ”keeping up with the Zhang’s.” The problem (and it has been a problem throughout most of China’s history) is that no one seemed concerned about how the children felt about getting “culture.” When I asked about what they’re children thought and many replied quite frankly that due to the children’s youth (and individuals in China are often considered children until they are married or at least into they’re late twenties) they’re input was generally not being taken into account. When I asked what if they’re kid wanted to do something such as play little-league baseball and the concensus among this fairly well-off group of professionals was that the child would be “persuaded” that participation in such an activity would not be unworkable. About a week later I talked to a young man who was attending one of these ‘finishing’ schools.’ I asked him if he was happy. He said he wasn’t and that if he had his way he would just find a job, work, marry his girlfriend play basketball on the weekends with his buddies and carve out a suitable existence from there but because his family wanted him to go to England, graduate from uiversity there and become a lawyer he had no choice but to follow the ‘plan.’ Another person stuck in the system…and one likely to stretch the custom unto his children.

Chinese Children Learn Class, Minus the Struggle