AtimetableforchildhooddevelopmenthasbeencirculatingrecentlyinmajorChinesecities.Accordingtotheguide,athreeyear-oldshouldhavebegunlearningthepianoordancing.Forchildrenagedfour,paintingandchesslessonsareappropriate.Atfive,parentscanaddasecondmusicalinstrumenttothepiano,andatseven,kidscanstartsportstraining.ItalsorecommendsenrollingfirstandsecondgradersinextracurricularclassesinChinese,Englishandmathtoprepareforvariousschoolentranceexams.Theadvicemaybedebatable,butmanyChineseparentstodayarefollowingthetimetablestrictly.
“FunandGames”
ThisJanuary,seven-year-oldDuoMicontinuedpracticingiceskatingpast8p.m.inTower3oftheChinaWorldTradeCenterinBeijingasherteampreparedforafigureskatingcompetitioninMarch.Alongsidegroupcompetitions,DuoMiwillalsoperformasoloskatewithanewlychoreographeddance.
DuoMiiswell-rounded,tosaytheleast.Alongwithfigureskating,sheplaysthepianoandthezheng(a21-stringedancientChinesemusicalinstrument),dances,participatesinthemathOlympics,attendsEnglishclassandstudiessketching.Shenowstudiesataboardingschool,whereshesleepsfromMondaytoThursday.Jugglingalltheseactivitiesrequirespracticeduringlunchbreaksandafterclass.HerbusiestdaysstartfromFriday.Afterclassesareoverat2:20p.m.,shetravelshomeandisthenbackinanEnglishclassby6:20p.m.Hersketchingtutordropsinfrom10a.m.tonoononSaturdays.Afterthatlesson,shefinishesherhomeworkandpracticesthepianointheafternoon.From10to11:30p.m.,DuoMipracticesskating,anddoesn’tgethomeuntilaftermidnight.Shegetsupat9a.m.onSundaymorningtomakeittotheicerinkformoretrainingat10a.m.From3:20to5:20p.m.,sheattendsthemathOlympicsclass.Herweekendactivitiesareusuallyoverby9p.m.onSundaynight,afterwhichshegoesstraighttobed.Mondaysstartat5:30a.m.becauseofthelongdrivebacktoschool.Duringherbusyweekendschedule,DuoMionlyhastimetorestforafewminuteswhiletravelingfromoneclasstothenext.
Ifyouaskhermother,DuoMihasastrongwillandissomewhatstubborn.Thegirlisquitedemandingofherselfandalwaystriesherbest.Once,whenshecouldn’tcompleteaspinduringskatingpractice,DuoMibegancryinginfrustration.Whenshestartedthepianoatagefour,DuoMicriedwhilepracticingalmosteveryday.“Shetoldmeitwasn’tbecauseshedidn’twanttoplay,”stresseshermom.“Shewassimplyfrustratedthatshecouldn’tdoitwell.Shecriedbecauseshethoughtshewasn’tgoodenough.That’sherpersonality.”DuoMi’sfamily,includinghermom,feelshehastakenontoomanyactivities,butthegirlherselfrefusestogiveanyup.
SweatandTears
AlthoughXiaoXiao,alsoseven,doesn’ttakeasmanyclassesasDuoMi,sheisconsumedbypressuretobecomethepianisthermotherwishesshecouldhavebeen.Whenshewasachild,XiaoXiao’smotherDingLianhadtogiveupplayingthepianobecauseherfamilycouldn’taffordone.Thepianobecameamustforherdaughter.
Morethantwodecadesago,Dingfellinlovewiththepianoduringherschoolmusicclass,andhertalentwasquicklyrecognized.Dingquicklymasteredmusicalnotationanddevelopedtheabilitytoplaybackasongafterhearingitonlyonceortwice.Afterstudyingforthreeyears,itbecameapparentthatDingneededherownpianotogetsufficientpracticetime.Atthattime,thecheapestpianocostmorethan10,000yuan,anenormousfigureforanordinaryChineseworkingfamilywithamonthlyincomeoflessthan100yuan.Dinghadnochoicebuttogiveupplaying.“Uponhearingthenews,mypianoteachervisitedmyhomeandbeggedmetocontinue,promisingmymotheradmissiontothebestconservatoryinChina,”Dingreveals.“Myteachersobbedandpleadedwithmyparents,asceneIrememberclearlytothisday.”FromthemomentXiaoXiaowasborn,playingthepianowasalreadyherdestiny.
ButXiaoXiaohasnointerestinthepianoatall.It’saconstantstrugglejusttogethertopractice.Thetwofightalotaboutthepiano.XiaoXiaotriedtowrite“Idon’tlikeplayingpiano”onsomeofhersheetmusic,butbecauseshehadn’tlearnedthecharacterfor“like”yet,shedrewaheart.Shealsodrewcryingfacesonquiteafewpages.
“Whetheryoulikeplayingpianoornot,youcan’tgiveitup,”DingtoldXiaoXiao.“Decadeslater,whenyoucancommunicatewithmusic,youwillthankme.”
Attherequestofherparents,YuanYuanpracticestheaccordioneveryday,althoughshehasneverlovedthemusicalinstrument.Sometimes,shespendsmuchofher30-minuitepracticetimecrying.China’sClimbingMiddleClass
Inrecentyears,enrollmentinsupplementaryclasseshasbecomealltherageinChina,especiallyinlargeandmediumsizedcities.Theseclassesarenotconfinedtoacademicsandcovermanydifferentschoolsofart,kindsofsportsandgenresofmusic.Accordingtoa2015surveybyChina’sNationalInstituteofEducationSciencesin12majorChinesecitiesincludingBeijing,Shanghai,Chongqing,Guangzhou,andUrumqi,nearly66percentofurbankidswereenrolledinatleastonesupplementaryclass.InmoredevelopedcitiessuchasBeijingandGuangzhou,over90percentofchildrentakesomeclassesbeforetheyevenreachformalschoolage.
MembersofChina’smiddleclassattachgreatimportancetoeducatingtheirchildren.AsdefinedbyCreditSuisse’sGlobalWealthReport,in2016,thosewhohavewealthbetweenUS$28,000and280,000inChinaareconsidered“middleclass,”ademographicof109million.SincethearrivalofChina’smiddleclasshasbeenaccompaniedbyrapideconomicgrowthanddrasticsocialchange,peopleinthenewmiddledon’tfeelparticularlysecurethere.Theiranxietyshowsinthingslikeattitudestowardseducation.Theyexpectchildrentolearnamusicalinstrument,understandthearts,haveperfectsocialetiquette,masteracoupleofsportsandgetadmittedtothebestschools.Parentsinsistthattheirchildrencontinueclimbingtowardshighersocialandeconomicstatus,ormaintainthesamesocialstatusattheveryleast.Thebillforsupplementaryclasseshasbecomeanecessarilylargechunkofmanyfamilies’budgets.DuoMiisoneexample.TuitionforhersupplementaryclassestotaledUS$20,000in2016,excludingadditionalexpensesforthingslikespecialcostumesandtravel.
AttheendofNovemberoflastyear,aheadlinereading“Finnishschoolsscrap‘subjects’infavorof‘topics’inamovetoreformthecountry’seducationsystem”wentviralontheChineseinternet.Itmeansthecountryhasintroducedaprogrambasedaroundeducationthatisbroaderthanthetraditionalmethodsofnarrowsubjects.Theywanttoreplacespecificsubjectslikehistoryandpsychologywith“perspectivesonWorldWarII”andeconomicsandcookingwith“dailyoperationofacafé.”Topicsclosertorealityandmeanttohelpstudentsbetterunderstandtheworldarebeingintroduced.AlthoughmanyChineseparentsexpressedsupportforsuchpracticesonline,mostChinesemiddleclassparentsarestillplacingtheirkidsinhalfadozendifferentsubjectclasses.