Wang Yuanyuan

    As the winter vacation came to an end, many parents found they spent a lot more money on their children than in previous years.

    “It is commonly believed that only students suffer from post-vacation blues, but I think us adults also suffer,” a mother, Zhao Lingling, said.

    Many parents fear the winter vacation. “We worry about our childrens’ safety, their studies and, most of all, we worry about how much money we will spend and how well they can manage their lucky money,” Zhao said.

    For most parents, tutoring and lucky money were the two musts during the winter holidays.

    “Winter vacation is one of the best times to help students review and preview their studies, so tutoring is very necessary. Meanwhile, it is also important to teach them how to spend their lucky money sensibly,” she said.

    Zhu Xiaorui spent about 10,000 yuan (US$1,587) on his 14-year-old son during the holidays. “He received tutoring in English and more than 8,000 yuan worth of mathematics tutoring. It is said that students should not have too many classes or training during the vacation, but we are afraid that he will fall behind his classmates who are also receiving tuition,” he said.

    Parents of high-school students spent most of their money during the vacation on tutoring. “The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is the biggest thing for high-school students and everybody has to struggle to keep up in their studies. Meanwhile, many schools opened for Senior Three students during the holidays and we had to pay tuition fees for that,” said Wang Yuemei, the mother of a student.

    “Tutors charge more for new Senior Three students and I spent more than 30,000 yuan on her during the two months. It is a lot of money and I hope she returns to her regular school life soon so we can save money,” Wang said.