Children kowtowing before parents in Shanghai school sparks online debate A video showing hundreds of students #kneeling and #kowtowing to their parents at a school event in Shanghai has sparked a heated debate on social media in China. The video features a ceremony held at the Fuxin School on Sunday. It shows more than 800 students kneeling and kowtowing to their parents during the ceremony, while the parents are weeping profusely. Not just that, the children are also seen helping pull out the gray hair on their parents’ heads and are asked to hold on to them in a special case as a reminder of their parents’ affection for them. According to one of the students, during the event, he was asked to publicly recall and share incidents from daily life that he felt exemplified how much his parents cared for him and also express his gratitude towards his parents. “I do appreciate everything my parents offer to me, but it’s kind of embarrassing to talk about my love for them in everyday life. I’m glad I have the opportunity today, and I told my parents I love them”, he said. Fu Jianqing, the headmaster of the primary school, says that they will hold similar events in the future too in order to promote Chinese traditions and teach children to respect their elders. However, not everyone online seems to agree with Mr. Fu. Commentator Liu Xuesong has been questioning whether gestures like kneeling and kowtowing are the best methods to inculcate that sense of respect. His views were picked up by a number of media outlets and drew strong support on Sina Weibo, China’s largest social networking platform. “We cannot ignore the negative impact of such a school event. Being respectful is not about kneeling or obedience. Kneeling is also the opposite of independent thinking in contemporary society. Such traditional acts don’t necessarily result in harmonious parent-child relations,” Liu said. That view was echoed by legions of Weibo users. A user, named A-Duen, said: “Respect comes from deep in the heart, not from these activities.” Another user Xiaoxiaohuaixiaohai wrote: “I would rather spend some time with my parents, watching TV and talk with them. It makes them happier, as opposed to me kowtowing and then leaving. I don’t want my child to kneel before me either.” But others have defended the ceremony, saying that it is just one way to express love and respect towards the elderly. Many of them have been voicing support for the view expressed by a user named ChouDanxiansen who says that, “I don’t understand why these so-called experts are criticizing it. I want to show my parents my respect in this way.” So where do you stand on this debate? Do comment and share your thoughts with us.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 03:38:41 +0000
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