China Exclusive: Child prodigy stirs up praise, doubt

China Exclusive: Child prodigy stirs up praise, doubt

by Xinhua writers Wang Jian, Liao Jun and Qiang Lijing

WUHAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- At the age of two, he demonstrated astrong interest in watching China's Central Television news; atseven, he adopted the habit of reading the People's Daily newspaper.Now Huang Yibo, 13, has published more than 100 articles innewspapers and magazines.

Huang, who comes from the city of Wuhan in central China's HubeiProvince, has recently been hailed as a political prodigy by Chinesenetizens, stirring up a mixture of praise, doubt and satire.

Huang's popularity started with a picture he posted on hismicroblog last week. In the picture, he is shown reading somedocuments, posing like a professional politician and wearing anastonishing "five-bar" armband.

Chinese primary school students wear white armbands with red barsto acknowledge their positions as "young pioneers" for the CommunistParty. Two bars indicate that a student is a class monitor, threestrokes normally mean that the student is a grade-level leader.Huang's five-bar armband indicates that he is the chief of Wuhan's"young pioneers".

Huang's five-bar armband, his prudent gaze and zeal for politicshave amazed Internet users and given his microblog more than onemillion hits in just a few days.

MIXED FEELINGS

In the introduction to his blog, Huang writes that he is focusedon cultivating his moral discipline, aspires to contribute tohumankind and feels responsible for bringing prosperity andstability to the Chinese nation.

Huang's mother told local media that the boy has a great interestin history and politics and that he cares about the livelihood ofthe Chinese people.

Although Huang has been praised by many, others have cast adoubtful sight on his accomplishments, saying that the child isactually a victim of his parents' own overbearing ambition.

A netizen named "Rosa rubus in the moonlight" believes thatHuang's behavior and mentality are not natural for a boy of his age.

"It's sad that the boy has lost the innocence that is consistentwith his age. It is unnatural and harmful to the development of theboy's personality. Either his parents or society should take theblame for this." the netizen wrote.

Hu Yinbin, another netizen, says that Huang is a lonely andmisunderstood genius, and that people should not judge him withtheir own understanding of what an ordinary 13-year-old child shouldbe like.

JUST AN ORDINARY CHILD

Class is over, and Huang is walking out of the classroom, talkingand laughing with his friends.

Huang says that he feels upset about the online criticism. "Thosepeople who dislike me actually don't know much about me. I believethat if they knew me in person, they would change their minds."

In the eyes of school headmaster Huang Hengzhong, Huang is nodifference from other children in the school. Huang Hengzhong saysthat while the child is not necessarily outstanding in his academicperformance, he has a great personality and outstanding leadershipskills.

However, what impresses the headmaster most is the student'stitle of "Charitable Person of Wuhan", which he received by sendingmoney earned from his articles to poor elderly people.

Huang's parents say that they are also disturbed by the boy'sovernight popularity and that they feel hurt by online criticism oftheir child-rearing methods.

Huang Hongzhang, Yibo's father, says, "We don't expect that ourson will become a politician when he grows up. He will be left tomake his own career choices in the future. We taught him to readbooks and newspapers at a young age to broaden his horizons."

"I don't think my son is a prodigy. He is just an ordinary kidwho is determined, independent and kind-hearted," Huang Hongzhangadds.

FAMILY EDUCATION IN QUESTION

Zhang Ming, a professor of political science at the RenminUniversity of China, wrote in an online article that Huang Yibo isan example of Chinese education being negatively influenced bytraditional Chinese culture, which attaches great importance toofficial positions and ranks.

Watching the news and reading newspapers at such a young age cancause imbalances in a child's knowledge and personality, Zhang says,adding that the awareness of the importance of official rankings candistort children's value systems.

Parents and educators should protect the innocence of childrenand let them grow up naturally, says headmaster Huang Hengzhong.Huang believes that the development of a child's personality can beharmed if his or her parents instill a strong sense of self-importance from an early age.

Parents should provide their children with enough space for themto discover and develop their own interests and personalities, Huangsays.

Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and ChildrenResearch Center, said in an article published by the China Dailynewspaper that it is unfair to judge a child according toinformation reported by the media.

Some of Huang's teachers worry that the negative comments willhurt the child, and they hope that people can be more tolerant aboutthe way in which Huang is being raised.