China’s ‘Little Emperors’ learn morals, manners
Posted: Thursday, January 03, 2008 8:15 AM
Filed Under:
Beijing, China
By Mark Mullen, NBC News Correspondent
With Beijing's bitter cold this time of year and Chinese schools out for the holidays, the indoor children's play area at the shopping mall where we brought our three-year-old the other day was packed.
In one netted enclosure of oversized balloons, my happily crazed daughter honed-in on one red balloon – as did two other boys – leading all three to converge from different angles at top speed. The kids safely collided about the same time with the balloon in the middle, which made for a humorous scene.
But the boys weren't amused. As my daughter fled with the prize in hand, one boy started yelling at the other and an angry push may have been involved. It was hard for me to be certain, because by then the bench where all of the grown-ups were sitting had been cleared as multiple generations of relatives rushed to the aid of their respective heirs.
While the scene was one that could be repeated in playgrounds around the world, it was a good reminder of the task all parents face in trying to teach manners to kids – a task getting more and more attention here in China.
Battling affluenza
With China's red-hot economy growing more than 10 percent annually, there is a quickly emerging money class that is enjoying an unprecedented lifestyle of luxury. What is worrying more and more parents, however, is that their children often lack either any knowledge of hardship or an appreciation for what they have.
Compounding the problem for even parents of modest means is that in this country with a one-child policy, it can become easier for a child to be coddled, especially when there is the added attention of grandparents and other extended family members living under the same roof. It's often referred to as the "Little Emperor Syndrome."
What to do?
Increasingly, parents with new money are turning to the older ways of China.
In Cixi, China, a workshop has been set up for wealthy children destined to take over the family business. It is led by a philosopher who teaches traditional Chinese values in between courses on management.
In Guandong, China, the formal teaching of values starts much younger. Fourth graders at one International School recite passages and learn messages from the teachings of Confucius who emphasized community harmony and being a peaceful person.
Those efforts also coincide with what appears to be an increase in the popularity of religion and spirituality among people of all ages throughout China.
As rapidly as the world's most populous country is starting to prosper, there is a corresponding move to counter all the successes with the infusion of morality, manners and meaning in this atheist state.
Though given what I just witnessed at the children’s play area, I wonder how tough it could be for a 3-year-old to consider the teachings of Confucius while trying to grab a giant red balloon.
