Thought-Provoking Documentary

By staff reporter ZHAO TINGYU

BORN in 2000， a documentary film produced by the Documentary Center of the Beijing Normal University， has received an overwhelming response from viewers after it was released nationwide. The production team spent 12 years tracking and recording several families with children born after 2000， telling stories about the growth and transformation of these children from kindergarten to middle school.

The growth of each child， as well as the struggles and choices faced by both children and parents struck a resounding chord in the hearts of parents， and sparked discussions in society about growth and education of children， and even the meaning of life.

Exploring Lifes Meaning

In the recording looking back over the childrens previous 12 years of growth， there were scenes of joy and sadness， struggling and giving up， frustration and persistence. The influence and change of different educational methods and concepts on children raising are examined through the camera lens.

In the film， Chi Yiyang， who was quite introverted during his early childhood， later grew into a sunshine boy who loves American football and found direction in life. Wang Sirou， changed from a spoiled little girl into a self-asserting adolescent after experiencing a challenging time of studying in the U.S. With constant changes of friends， schools， and teachers， their experience has gradually molded the teenager into a rational youngster， leaving behind unique imprints in his life.

“The path of childrens growth actually reflects the parenting style and attitude of the parents. The so-called parent-child love must be based on understanding，” said Luo Jing， an author and online streaming show anchor on psychology and parenting.

“The film not only helped me reflect on the growth of my own childhood， but also reflected the results of parents teaching methods on their children，” said a father surnamed Wu， whose son was born after 2000. Talking about parenting methods， Wu is more inclined to try and get along with his child like a friend in life. Understanding the stressful environment of his sons academic life， the father also makes sure that his child exercises at least twice a week， doing such activities like playing basketball and swimming. “Growing up with children has always been my wish，” said the father.

“Everyones growth is a unique experience，” said Yu Ming， chief director of the film. “Nevertheless， people still try to label the post-2000 generation， calling them names like ‘Internets aborigines， and defining them as being ‘international， ‘independent， ‘open-minded， and youngsters of personality but have no experience in hardship or difficulties of life，” Yu added， admitting that these are part of their traits. The growth of the films protagonists also reflects the development of the times.

How parents grow together with their children， a core topic about family education， remains a major focus of public discussion. In the film， there is innocent laughing， heartbreaking crying， and unavoidable quarreling， but behind it all is the growth of the children. According to some experts， for children of the post-2000 generation who are going through adolescent rebellion， understanding-oriented education promotes their development. Dialogue is a wiser choice when conflict is encountered， they said， suggesting that parents create a relatively safe environment in which children can make independent choices and decisions. They should also remind children of potential consequences and dangers to protect them from losing confidence in life， according to experts.

“Family is the source of power in peoples growth，”said Zhu Yongxin， vice president of the Chinese Society of Education. “Parents and children should have a dynamic relationship. If parents devote energy in examining problems with their parenting， they will find a solution and help themselves grow up in the process.”

Growing Together

With the great response to the release of this documentary film， various topics like personality and the national system， exam-oriented education and quality-oriented education， studying abroad or not， puberty and parent-child relationships， and onechild policy and two-child policy have become bone of public contention. In addition to this， questions like “What kind of educational philosophy is more suitable for the post-2000 generation？” and “How can we better achieve our educational goals for this generation？” also aroused much discussion.

Sun Yunxiao， executive vice chairman of the Family Education Committee of the Chinese Society of Education， believes that education in modern society is about growth of two generations. Parents educate their children not only by relying on their educational background， income or social status， but more importantly influenced by educational ideas， methods and abilities. “The prerequisite is to understand the children. To achieve this， parents should first respect them，” Sun said. Noting respecting each childs personality should be the starting point for education， Sun continued that such a process of growth not only requires parents to develop themselves， but also shows a need for competent family education.

An important mission of education is to learn how to discover the different characteristics and individuality of each child. “During the filming， I personally felt that there was no one-fit-for-all standard for education. We should teach children in accordance with their aptitudes，” said Zhang Tongdao， and then added， “If the film helps promote harmony in families who watch it and make children grow up in a healthier manner， then our 12 years of hard work will not be wasted.”