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Children are the center of most Chinese families. According to the Chinese tradition， a family of many children is considered a blessing. After the implementation of the one-child policy in China， the family’s only child naturally became the center of attention.
As the old Chinese saying goes，“Of the three kinds of unfilial acts， the greatest is not to have a son to carry on the family line.” Children are considered the most important members of the family， as they are not only the tie that links the whole family together， but also the hope of a better future for the family.
Longing to see their children become successful is a common psychological phenomenon among Chinese parents， as told by many Chinese tales of parents making tremendous sacrifices for the future well-being of their children. Nowadays， most parents are doing all they can to provide the best environment for the children to grow and learn. This includes signing them up for various extra-curricular courses to learn new skills and hiring private teachers to tutor them at home， encouraging the children to reach their best potential.
Generally， the expectations of most Chinese parents for their sons involve their potential career， power， influence， etc. For their daughters， on the other hand， parents wish they will have a happy and harmonious family life in the future. This concept can be viewed as a continuation of the traditional idea in China that “women should take care of housekeeping， leaving the ‘outside business’ to men.” While the concept of gender equality is increasingly taking root in society and career women are gaining more and more respect， survey results indicate that most Chinese still hold the traditional view that men should try to achieve a successful career while women should be good at managing the household.
There is a story about a big tree that is perhaps a vivid reflection of the Chinese parents’ psychology.
There was once a kid who often played under a big tree. The tree liked the kid very much and often said to him： “Come to me every day， let’s play happily together.” Each time the kid agreed and played with the tree. As years passed by， the kid grew into a child. One day the tree asked him again to play together. The child answered： “I don’t want to play with you. I want a toy. Can you give me a toy？” The old tree answered： “I don’t have a toy， but I have fruits. You can pick the fruits， sell them to have money and then buy the toys you like.” The child followed the tree’s advice， picked the fruits and bought the toy.
More years passed， the child grew into a man and had his own family. One day， he came under the tree again， which said the same words to him： “Let’s play together.” The man answered： “No， I have a family now， I need a house， can you help me？”The tree answered： “I don’t have a house， but you can chop my trunk and branches to build your house.” The men chopped the tree， leaving only the stump.
Several decades later， the men grew into an elder， and came to the tree again. This time， the tree said to him：“I don’t have anything left， I can’t help you.” The old man said： “I don’t need anything now. May I just take a rest here？” The old tree said， “Yes， sit down here.” The old man sat on the stump and had a good rest.
The story perfectly explains the relationship between Chinese parents and children. The parents expend all efforts to raise their children， without asking for anything in return.
As the old Chinese saying goes，“Of the three kinds of unfilial acts， the greatest is not to have a son to carry on the family line.” Children are considered the most important members of the family， as they are not only the tie that links the whole family together， but also the hope of a better future for the family.
Longing to see their children become successful is a common psychological phenomenon among Chinese parents， as told by many Chinese tales of parents making tremendous sacrifices for the future well-being of their children. Nowadays， most parents are doing all they can to provide the best environment for the children to grow and learn. This includes signing them up for various extra-curricular courses to learn new skills and hiring private teachers to tutor them at home， encouraging the children to reach their best potential.
Generally， the expectations of most Chinese parents for their sons involve their potential career， power， influence， etc. For their daughters， on the other hand， parents wish they will have a happy and harmonious family life in the future. This concept can be viewed as a continuation of the traditional idea in China that “women should take care of housekeeping， leaving the ‘outside business’ to men.” While the concept of gender equality is increasingly taking root in society and career women are gaining more and more respect， survey results indicate that most Chinese still hold the traditional view that men should try to achieve a successful career while women should be good at managing the household.
There is a story about a big tree that is perhaps a vivid reflection of the Chinese parents’ psychology.
There was once a kid who often played under a big tree. The tree liked the kid very much and often said to him： “Come to me every day， let’s play happily together.” Each time the kid agreed and played with the tree. As years passed by， the kid grew into a child. One day the tree asked him again to play together. The child answered： “I don’t want to play with you. I want a toy. Can you give me a toy？” The old tree answered： “I don’t have a toy， but I have fruits. You can pick the fruits， sell them to have money and then buy the toys you like.” The child followed the tree’s advice， picked the fruits and bought the toy.
More years passed， the child grew into a man and had his own family. One day， he came under the tree again， which said the same words to him： “Let’s play together.” The man answered： “No， I have a family now， I need a house， can you help me？”The tree answered： “I don’t have a house， but you can chop my trunk and branches to build your house.” The men chopped the tree， leaving only the stump.
Several decades later， the men grew into an elder， and came to the tree again. This time， the tree said to him：“I don’t have anything left， I can’t help you.” The old man said： “I don’t need anything now. May I just take a rest here？” The old tree said， “Yes， sit down here.” The old man sat on the stump and had a good rest.
The story perfectly explains the relationship between Chinese parents and children. The parents expend all efforts to raise their children， without asking for anything in return.