For most Chinese children, the International Children's Day, which falls on June 1, often comes with a day off and gifts from parents, and a pile of homework and extracurricular classes as well.

Chinese children are experiencing heavier pressure as well as much pleasure, which make their childhood not as carefree as that of previous generations.

Old memories vs new affluence

Wang Wenyi is a 70-year-old retired electric welder in Beijing. When the People's Republic of China was established in 1949 and the Children's Day was designated in the same year, he was 10.

"At that time, trams and parks in Beijing were free to kids when it came to the Children's Day, and we had a day off from school. I always took a tram to the Xidan downstreet and Tian'anmen Square, just looking around," said Wang.

"Kids did not have much fun in old days. It was exciting for us to take a tram," Wang added.

Now he was happy to see his 11-year-old grandson having a better-off and more interesting childhood.

"He doesn't care about new clothes, delicious food or toys, because he has all he wants."

Chen Yanyan, a 24-year-old employee in an overseas-funded entertainment corporation, said he had a dream of having a bicycle since junior high school. But he did not get one until he was enrolled in college. Children now can get one at the age of 5.

Sun Ling, a public servant in Shanghai, said he would buy a kid's bicycle for his 5-year-old daughter as a Children's Day gift.

"She is so lucky and carefree".

Sun, 30, said during his childhood, he could only play with discarded wine bottle caps, small coins and self-made wood pistols.

"My uncle once brought me an electric toy gun, and I played it for years. But when it was broken, I never got new ones from my parents," Sun said.

Now his daughter's toys were thrown everywhere in the house, and she has more clothes than anyone else in the family.

"Sometimes I even feel jealous of her," Sun said.

For kids in the countryside, many of whose parents are migrant workers in cities, their childhood is also more delightful than that of their parents.

Ma Xinjiang, 33, left his 6-year-old son in the hometown Anhui Province and earned money as a cement worker in Beijing. The son was in a local kindergarten, and Ma often sent him clothes and Ultra man toys.

"His life was much better than ours. When I was a boy, I did not even know what a kindergarten was, and I just played by myself," Ma said.

New pressure

Wang Wenyi said he spent less time with his grandson since he entered primary school.

"He was much busier than a child should ever be."

"In old days, we had only two subjects in primary school, Chinese and math, not even English. But my grandson has so many courses, extra-curricular interest classes, and some other group activities," Wang said.

Li Ou'meng, a student at the Beijing's Second Experimental Primary school, complained he might not have much time for a sound sleep on the Children's Day.

"We have performances, and we got homework, so much homework. What kind of a holiday is it when it makes us so strained?" Li said.

Experts said study has become the biggest burden for Chinese children and that it is improper to impose parents' expectations and value of the society on children at an early age.

"It will deprive of their childhood to make early arrangements for future education -- and it goes against their recognition and development," said Zhou Xiaolin, a psychology professor from Peking University.

Many parents think entering a top university is the basis for finding a decent job and live a comfortable life in the future.

Zhu Liqi, a professor of the Institute of Psychology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), described the competition as "a war without gun smoke."

"They learn more, they know more, they are smarter, but not necessarily happier," Zhu said.

The battle begins when children are still in kindergarten, when parents send their 4-or-5-year-old kids to various interest classes.

Xin Wei, a five-and-a-half-year-old boy from Beijing's Happy Times Kindergarten, had music, painting, English and table tennis courses every week after school.

Xin's mother, Huo Na, said all these courses were up to his will.

"We once took him to an arithmetic class when he was 4, but the homework was demanding and we got tired, so we quit it soon," Huo said.

"I like singing and dancing, and other courses are interesting, too. I am also proud of my fluent English," Xin said.

Xin even held his first painting exhibition during his fifth birthday anniversary. With his mother's help, he posted his own paintings on the walls of the kindergarten and acted as a guide to explain paintings to his classmates.

"We do everything to make him feel confident, so that he will be mentally prepared for future challenges," Huo said.

Experts agreed that children's success depends more on social abilities, especially on communication and emotion control, as they bear much more pressure than children decades ago.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2009)