A related article in the WSJ about how many Chinese parents are deciding that being too extreme does more harm than good:

Parenting advice in China has long stressed discipline and authority. Those lessons are reinforced in best-selling books like "Harvard Girl Liu Yiting," a how-to manual published in 2000 by the parents of a student who won a coveted spot at the Ivy League school. Among the character-building exercises to which they subjected their daughter was having her hold ice cubes in her hands for long stretches.

In recent years, however, books that encourage parents to nurture their children's independence and confidence, as opposed to focusing exclusively on high academic achievement, have grown increasingly popular. They reflect a quiet shift in the parenting style of middle-class families, especially in China's growing cities.

----------------------

• LIFE & STYLE
• JANUARY 8, 2011
• http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059720804985228.html

In China, Not All Practice Tough Love

Some parents want their children to be creative, independent and less obsessed with test scores