In a context where education is strictly supervised in China, more and more parents are part of a somewhat special training. In Hangzhou, the capital of the eastern province of Zhejiang (east of the country), the company Fuying Education offers a range of courses, promising to transform fathers and mothers in difficulty into “smart parents”.
Within society, whose mantra is “Repair yourself, not your child”we describe the adolescence crisis as a “Disease caused by parents”. However, as the adult students who followed the box of the box finally discovered, the transition from theory to practice is not always conclusive, says the Chinese Sixth Tone State media.
After reading the claims of the founder of the company Wang Jinhai, according to which its program has helped more than 100,000 families in “Leave confusion behind them”more and more parents turn to these courses with catchy titles: “Empathy camp”, “the art of speaking”, “thirty conferences on adolescence”, etc.
As in any school, to progress in training, students receive weekly homework. Among them: exercise the smile of Duchenne (identified by wrinkles at the corner of your eyes) and accumulate points by studying the course equipment on an application (AIBM) launched and operated by Fuying Education. Parents are required to devote at least thirty minutes to AIBM outside class times, although some entrust to study up to two hours a day, sometimes even at work.
A “weird atmosphere at home”
On the theory side, a particularly popular lesson with parents taught them to cooperate with their toddlers without screaming. XU Huixin, a teacher working in the health care sector, intends to promote a three -step technique: “Take stock of the situation, calm down, then practice empathy.” Then, the teacher offers the group to participate in a role -playing game based on a hypothetical situation: for example, a child spending too much time on his mobile phone.
For many parents, the course is a revealing experience. “Before, I only thought of myself, completely ignoring the child’s point of view”admits Shen, who participated in several role -playing games, one of which in which the most angry parents appeared on the board in order to scold their classmates. The lights being sifted, the students had to imagine themselves undergoing the abuse. From then on, Shen took care to scribble in his notebook a list of “Unacceptable sentences” Avoid during conversations with his son.
As part of another work, parents are invited to display colorful notes in good places for the family home, in order to encourage their offspring by emphasizing their strengths. Students receive a list of fifty “conventional compliments” and fifty-two lines of flattery.
Despite his army of dedicated fans, Fuying Education also aroused controversy. According to a report published in March 2024 by the state media The Paper, the company operates according to a multi -purpose sales model: distributors can sponsor new sellers, and be partly remunerated by a commission evaluated as a percentage on recruit sales. If this practice is legal, it is often criticized in China. In addition, in July 2024, Fuying was sentenced to a fine of 36,000 yuan (approximately 4,700 euros) to have violated Chinese advertising laws – it provided false information in its advertising campaigns.
But that does not seem to have slowed enthusiasm for its products. According to many parents, fuzzing lessons have become a means of “Recharge their batteries” And to evacuate their anxieties, which are generally associated directly or indirectly with the academic results of their child. Others, however, are less successful. Zhou, a Chinese teenager, thus deplores a form of “Toxic positivity” with her mother since she followed the training. Every day, at six or seven in the morning, the latter “Starts lessons, reading motivation stories aloud”. The young Zhou thus regrets a “”Weird atmosphere at home»».
