Child prodigies and model kids from ancient China for Children’s Day
Chinese media and politicians often refer to children as “the flowers of the country, and the hope of the future.” Today, Children’s Day in the PRC, China is celebrating childhood, and the kids are enjoying a day off from the normal grind at school.
That break is well deserved, because being a kid is no picnic, with pressure from parents and school teachers often immense in China’s exam-oriented education system, and a strong tradition of filial piety pervading society. Parents hope their children will be hard workers, smart, attentive, and brave—like Kong Rong (孔融), who is famous for letting his older brothers take the best fruit when he was just 4 years old, and who later became a renowned scholar during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE).
Sun Jiahui is a freelance writer and former editor at The World of Chinese. She writes about Chinese language, society and culture, and is especially passionate about sharing stories of China's ancient past with a wider audience. She has been writing for TWOC for over six years, and pens the Choice Chengyu column.
