Chinese postgraduate stirs debate over strict parents

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Wang Meng recently stirred up controversy in China after publishing online a 10,000-character article accusing his parents for what he described as “undue attention and love.”

Wang wrote in the article widely circulated online that his “mom tended to force [him] to do everything based on her will,” according to the Chengdu Business Daily on Monday.

He stated that everything from clothing to schooling, except the choice of university, were all chosen by his parents. Wang, who hails from southwest China’s Sichuan Province, thought he could be “free” after entering the prestigious Peking University in the Chinese capital, but his mother had his aunt to check up on him by constantly calling him and even contacting his classmates.

Now in the US after receiving a master’s degree at a university there, Wang had sent the article to his friends advising them not to control but to love their children.

However, Wang’s parents were confused as to why their son has been indifferent to them by not going back home on Spring Festival during the past 12 years. The festival, which usually falls on every January or February, is one of the most important holidays for Chinese.

They have also asked their son to forget about the past, after receiving a letter that Wang called an “ultimatum” back in 2012.

When talking about the relationship with his son, Wang’s father said to Chengdu Business daily, “We should clean up the ruins for the future.”

Controlling their children is believed to be a widely shared problem among parents in China. /VCG Photo‍

Wang Meng’s story has been trending on social media. The story on People’s Daily Weibo account has received more than 20,000 comments.

Though some people called Wang “sensitive” and “vulnerable,” many users on the microblogging platform said they shared similar experiences and believed that the lack of communication contributed to the misunderstanding.

“When Wang needed guidance, his family didn’t get it,” said one of the users.

“The son has been waiting for a ‘sorry,’ while the parents have been waiting for a ‘thank you’,” said another user.

Others urged Wang to visit his parents as soon as possible. “I will think it over,” Wang said, claiming he planned to study psychology at Peking University.