What was your childhood like? If you are Chinese, was it filled with after-school tuition classes, piano and swimming lessons, ballet and homework? Did your parents tell you it was all for your own good? Do you now agree?
Recently, we spent three weeks in Hong Kong visiting schools and talking to a whole lot of kids. Our brief was to make an Amy Chua-inspired film about education in one of Asia's most competitive cities. We hoped to prove a few theories – primarily that Chinese parents tend to be more hands on, more demanding and less forgiving of their children, and that the kids tend to be more stressed out than their western counterparts. We left with a few surprising conclusions.
Early on in the shoot, we tried hard to track down a so-called Tiger mum or dad. It seemed like the logical thing to do. Kids in Hong Kong regularly top global rankings in Maths and Science. The city's universities are some of the best in Asia. Competition for a place is intense. Perfect conditions for Tiger parenting. Or so we thought.
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