China: Children given luxury villa 'wealth education'

Some parents want their children to equate success with earning lots of cash

Parents in China have been showing their children the trappings of wealth in order to encourage them to desire success, it's reported.

More than 300 parents took their children to visit a luxury holiday villa in the southern city of Qingyuan, apparently in the hope that it will inspire the youngsters to seek riches when they grow up, the China Youth Daily reports. China celebrates Children's Day on 1 June, and many parents took their youngsters to museums or parks over the weekend. But others decided the time was better spent on "wealth education", the report says.

The pricey pad is valued at four million yuan ($645,000; £425,000), and comes complete with swimming pool. One father tells the paper that wealth represents a higher social status in China, and he wants his child to understand that from an early age.

But the idea hasn't gone down well among users of the Chinese social networking site Sina Weibo. One person condemns it as a sign of "a sick society with distorted values", while another writes: "When you grow up I hope you know that money doesn't bring happiness." One man is even more philosophical, saying: "Wealth is not money - wealth is a man of thought, mind, skill, emotion and love."

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