Primary and secondary school students in mainland China carry heavy backpacks, with some staying up until the early hours to complete homework, breaking down in tears. (Video screenshot)
[November 14, 2024] Middle school students are required to complete 12 test papers in a single evening, with some crying after finishing their homework in the early hours of the morning. Despite the Chinese government’s years-long calls to "reduce educational burdens," children’s backpacks have only become heavier. Experts analyze that under China’s exam-oriented education system, the competition will only continue to intensify.
Students Crying Over Homework Until Early Morning
Recently, a viral video showed a middle school student in Henan complaining to her parents about having to complete 12 test papers in one night, along with copying and workbook assignments. In one clip, a girl wearing a red scarf (a symbol of the Young Pioneers) finished her homework at midnight, burst out laughing, and then started crying, saying, "I’m done." Another eighth-grade girl cried at 3 a.m. after completing her assignments, overwhelmed by pressure even greater than that faced by adults. Other videos showed children carrying heavy backpacks that bent their spines under the weight.
On Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese social media platform, staying up late to do homework is a hot topic. Parents complain about their children’s schedules: seventh graders sleeping at midnight, attending tutoring after school; eighth graders writing assignments until 12:30 a.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. Sleep deprivation is common. One child combined math and chemistry homework with other subjects, staying up until 11 p.m., 12:40 a.m., or even 4 a.m.
While some exceptionally bright students manage to finish their homework earlier by completing parts of it at school, most parents’ experiences are similar, whether they’re in Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen. A parent from Beijing said, "They start homework at six and work for about four hours. It seems to be the same across the country, starting in seventh grade."
A parent in Shanghai told reporters her middle school son studies until past 10 p.m. and must wake up at 6:45 a.m. for a 7:20 a.m. school start. Spending ten hours a day at school, she said, "is simply a form of torment for children."
An online survey shows that 56% of children go to bed after 11 p.m., while 44% manage to sleep before this time.
In response to these pressures, the social media account Tao Ge’s Perspective criticized Chinese education, saying, "Why are our children so exhausted? They study so much but end up unable to find jobs after college and lack creativity. If this continues, there’s no point in education at all."
The account compared Chinese education to that in developed countries like the U.S., Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, where childhood is focused on joyful learning, and serious academic pursuit begins in university. "We’ve flipped this sequence upside down. Kids here grind themselves into exhaustion in their early years to get into college, only to slack off afterward—completely opposite to foreign systems."
"From elementary school to middle school, these ten or so years are a crucial time for children to grow. Many kids have to wake up before 5 a.m. to study and stay up until 11 or midnight doing homework. The children suffer, and the parents, staying up late with them, suffer too..."
He pointed out that some experts advocate that "children must not lose at the starting line," encouraging parents to send their children to prestigious schools. This has led to the rise of school district housing. However, after graduating from college, many students still struggle to find jobs. Those who once took out loans to buy school district homes now face plunging property values, with prices dropping by half. Chinese-style education not only harms children but also middle-aged parents, turning what should be a public service for the nation’s benefit into a profit-driven, money-centric business.
He believes that studying requires a certain level of talent, and excelling academically doesn’t necessarily guarantee success in the future. In society, what matters is the ability to adapt. "You only see the mud on both legs after stepping out of the water; let’s see who has the last laugh." Poor grades now don’t mean a child will struggle in the future, fail to achieve prominence, or live an unhappy life. Many children become bookworms and accomplish nothing. Parents pour their lifelong efforts into raising their children, only to end up with failures. There are countless such examples.
This independent media commentator also revealed that after releasing the video, many primary and secondary school teachers added him as a friend, complaining about how this educational system is driving not only the children and parents insane but also the teachers themselves.
Distorted Motivational Propaganda
In recent years, China’s economy has been in decline, with youth unemployment reaching record highs and many college graduates struggling to find jobs. Observers believe this issue is not due to a lack of effort by the Chinese people but rather a systemic problem inherent in the structure.
In July 2024, Big Data China published a nationwide survey titled Is It Me or the Economic System? Changes in China’s Perception of Inequality. The study found that 20 years ago, Chinese citizens generally viewed social inequality as a reasonable outcome of a market economy, attributing failure to individual shortcomings. Most respondents maintained an optimistic outlook toward the future.
However, 20 years later, inequality in China remains persistently high, and perceptions have shifted dramatically. Respondents now largely believe that structural factors are the primary causes of poverty. These include unequal opportunities, disparities in education, and an unfair economic system. When it comes to education, unequal access itself is both a root cause and a manifestation of sustained social inequality.
However, even in this situation, many parents continue to pressure their children to attend college, and society, including the education system, is filled with a "motivational" atmosphere. For example, videos are shared showing young laborers working on construction sites, covered in dirt and sweat, eating boxed lunches by the roadside, while across the street, a group of well-dressed female college students happens to walk by. These videos are labeled with captions like "Some live in poverty and hardship, while others are flourishing." However, viewers have questioned the authenticity of such videos, suspecting they are staged.
Another viral video shows three men suspended outside a high-rise building cleaning windows, who have become "internet celebrities." Someone in an office filmed these men, contrasting them with the white-collar workers inside, captioning the video with, "The same height, but different lives." In another scene, a boy, covered in dust, eats lunch at a construction site while gazing enviously at students nearby. The caption reads, "The place I once wanted to escape from the most is now the place I long to return to, but I can’t anymore..."
Another story circulating online is a primary school student’s essay titled My Backpack. The student wrote:
"My backpack is heavy, filled with my parents’ expectations and my teachers’ teachings. But it can’t hold my love for basketball or my small wish to play for a while. The backpack is so full—will its belly ache?"
When the teacher graded the essay, they sensed the child’s helplessness and pressure but still left a motivational comment:
"A fountain is beautiful because it endures pressure; a waterfall is majestic because it has no retreat. A drop of water can penetrate stone because it persists."
Analysis: The Evils of CCP Education
Former Capital Normal University professor Li Yuanhua, in an interview with Epoch Times, explained that China’s education system under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operates as a single-track system, with the college entrance exam as the sole path forward. This leaves students with very few options, and vocational education lacks the recognition and respect it receives in free societies. The education system focuses entirely on exams, which forces schools to prioritize reputation and students to improve test scores, inevitably leading to exam-oriented education.
He elaborated that this "exam-oriented education" involves an overwhelming number of exercises and repetitive drills. Students are subjected to completing every type of problem countless times, enduring "a thousand hammerings." Their time is consumed entirely by test papers and exam preparation.
"Children's youth is stifled—cut short far too early. In this overarching environment, any calls for 'reducing burdens' or 'quality education' are nothing but empty slogans."
Li pointed out that while China’s economic development has led to increased investment in education compared to the past, it still falls short of the global average. Moreover, the CCP selectively allocates resources to certain elite institutions, leading to highly unequal distribution of educational resources and significant disparities in foundational education.
He noted that parents, naturally, want their children to attend good schools. This competitive dynamic has extended from high schools to now starting as early as kindergarten. "Everyone is scrambling for the college entrance exam, and competition for top schools begins earlier and earlier, from elementary school to middle school. The age of competition keeps dropping. It’s like a bottleneck where millions are fighting to cross a single-log bridge. There are no alternative paths. This is the reality of China’s exam-oriented education system."
Li emphasized that the essence of education should be to nurture individuals with moral character and practical skills. However, under the CCP’s morally degraded system, education has strayed from its true purpose and become a tool for utilitarian goals. "The education system serves politics rather than fostering genuine values."
"Of course, you can rely on connections. If your family is wealthy or powerful, you can succeed effortlessly. But if you come from a poor background, there’s only one path: to grind endlessly at studying. Schools are also chasing their own rankings, so they ruthlessly pile on exercises, assignments, and test prep, leaving children barely able to breathe."
Responsible Editor: Zheng Haoyu
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