Farm work, tears and tough lessons: Inside China’s ‘hardship camps’ for children
Chinese parents are increasingly sending their children to 'hardship camps' to build resilience through manual labor and rural living. While popular, psychologists warn that these intense experiences may have negative psychological consequences.
Why it matters
Reflects shifting parenting trends and societal pressures in China regarding the upbringing of the younger generation.
For thousands of yuan, Chinese parents are buying their children a taste of hardship: hauling bricks, labouring in fields and clearing dung from cowsheds. But psychologists warn that pushing them too far can backfire.
Hardship camps, held largely in rural areas, have surged in popularity across China this summer. (Photo: Haoshi Study Tours)
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