Want to know what life is like for children in China? Find out the culture and traditions that revolve around Chinese children in the country.
Spanning over a time period of more than five thousand years the Chinese culture is one full of many contradictory practices that have come about as a result of the collision between the ways of the old with the new age traditions. The rich cultural heritage of the country has many unique aspects and amongst them is the culture relating to Chinese children.
One of the most unique aspects that has to do with children is the enforcement of the one child policy that has been in place sine the 70s. This was an attempt by the government to regulate the rapidly growing population and the drain that was placing on the country’s resources.
This law is very strictly enforced in the urban areas but exceptions are made in the rural areas. This is mainly due to the fact that the rural areas indulge in agricultural activities that require more helping hands. Parents that have more than one child are liable to pay a fine and the state even patronizes abortions.
The single child culture has had a profound influence on the upbringing of the child. Because of the fact that the child will be an only child and grand child of an entire family he is bound to be overly pampered. This can lead to deviant behavior as the child grows up.
Secondly the children born under this policy have no real brothers and sisters. This deprives them of a very fundamental aspect of family life that teaches you a lot about life. The child is deprived of quality playtime with his siblings because he has none. Nonetheless the only child tends to be very well behaved because all his affairs are carefully regulated by the elders of the family and the child may find it very difficult to escape the eyes of his watchful elders.
Children are generally encouraged to seek education and it is the responsibility of the parents to see to it that they receive proper education. The Chinese have a socialist oriented education system. There is however intense competition at the school level with children having to sit for entrance exams even at the junior most level.
The Chinese give education a lot of importance. The children are encouraged to gain mastery over any discipline that they seek to pursue. The children face a lot of pressure from their families to excel in their education. Children have to fit in and conform with the rules and regulations that have been put in place to regulate their affairs.
This is not to say that they are deprived of fun all together. In fact the Chinese make sure that their children get plenty of recreational activities so that they can have a healthy overall development. The children are encouraged to take part in physical activities such as sports and athletics that will develop their bodies. They also lay emphasis on training their children in different creative disciplines such as painting and music to develop their imagination.
