Controversial trend from China – how modern children are being raised

In China, the "hardship camps" trend is gaining popularity: parents pay from 4,000 yuan for a ten-day session to send their children to rural areas for heavy physical labor without gadgets. Children dig potatoes, chop wood, and tend livestock without pay. Society is divided: some see it as a useful shake-up, while others warn of psychological trauma.

In China, a controversial trend is rapidly gaining popularity: parents pay significant sums to send schoolchildren to so-called "hardship camps" in rural areas of southwestern provinces — Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. For 4,000 yuan for a ten-day session or over 10,000 for a month, children live in Spartan conditions: their smartphones are confiscated, and days are filled with heavy physical labor — digging potatoes, chopping wood, tending livestock, and clearing logs. No wages are paid for the work; earned "points" can only be spent on basic items like soap or toilet paper. For failing to meet quotas, children receive only boiled potatoes instead of lunch. Videos from the camps spark heated debates on Chinese social media, showing crying children begging their parents to take them home. Organizers justify the methods by saying pampered urban teenagers need to learn the value of money firsthand. Supporters consider the harsh shake-up beneficial, while critics warn of the risks of psychological trauma. Despite the debate, there is no shortage of parents wanting to send their children for re-education.