There is a lot of truth in Amy Chua's self-congratulatory Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chinese moms, today and in the past, will stop at practically nothing to ensure their children are armed with weapons required to defeat kiddie competition and obliterate barriers of future financial success. That said, in the People's Republic, contemporary mothers, flooded with information that promote a more liberal model of modern parenting, are conflicted: on one hand, they exert tremendous pressure on their (single) kids to excel academically; on the other, they feel guilty for imposing so much stress on cherished dumplings. There is increasing awareness a monomaniacal focus on grades can, in the long run, put young adults at a disadvantage.
Brands have begun to capitalize on this new truth.
The Middle Kingdom: Changes Afoot.
Despite ancient cultural imperatives, China is not static. Several contemporary influences buck against traditional definitions of proper child rearing: a) the rise of the coddled -- i.e., pampered -- single child, b) international media that promote alternative values (e.g., individualism), and c) an expanding economic pie fueled by entrepreneurialism and availability of higher education. Regarding the latter, the sky looks broader than ever before. Booming economic growth has been turbocharged by broadened availability of advanced degrees. In 2000, approximately 1.5 million college graduates entered the labor force. Today, the stream has become a flood, with six million university students, each dreaming of riches, beginning the hunt for professional gold. While Party positions are still rated for stability and proximity to the corridors of power, the most cherished positions are within multinational companies such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, investment banks and consultancies. It is understood these companies value initiative and independent thinking, characteristics at odds with traditional childhood "obedience."
But Traditional Values Endure.
As China hurtles towards 21st century superpower status, however, the gravitation pull of traditionalism, however, is felt everywhere. Therefore, it is unsurprising pedagogical practices have not evolved since economic reform began after the Cultural Revolution. Pupils never -- absolutely never -- question, let alone challenge, their instructors. Father-knows-best patriarchy, the modus operandi of both imperial China and the Modern Middle Kingdom, is alive and well within the Ministry of Education. The gao kao, the nation's all-or-nothing university entrance exam, rewards regurgitation of facts, not critical reasoning or originality. Individuals' ranking vis-à-vis peers are compiled starting in kindergarten. Children do not compose essays, outlets of self-expression in Europe and America, until the seventh grade. China's curriculum is nationalized. Uniforms are de rigeur. Beyond soccer, school-sponsored after school activities do not exist. And pre-graduation dating is still a bit shocking, a signal of corrupted ambition.
Read more at Huffington Post
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