Five-year-old boy's 15-page CV grabs China online attention

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Chinese student playing the game Go against a South Korean studentImage source, Getty Images/AFP
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Weibo users have criticised pressure created by education resources in China

The CV of a five-year-old boy in Shanghai has attracted a large amount of attention on Chinese social media.

The 15-page document is thought to have been produced in application for a place at a competitive school and lists a variety of sections detailing his "unique" personality, "rich" hobbies and "colourful" experience.

There are also sections on his loving family and educational values, as well as an appendix of all the books he has read in 2018.

According to Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post,, external the document claims he has read 10,000 books.

Images of the CV were shared on social media site Weibo - a Chinese platform similar to Twitter - and received tens of thousands of comments and shares.

Although the original post of the CV was deleted, the full document was reposted on Weibo.

Children in China begin primary school at the age of six or seven.

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In reaction to the CV, some people have suggested the boy's parents are expecting too much from him at such a young age.

Weibo user QVQ said: "His happy childhood is ruined for sure."

Another person, Piyeluo, commented that the boy's parents had gone over the top with the CV, saying: "They are over-stressed by China's limited education resources and have overreacted."

But another user said the boy's parents were setting him up for big things, adding: "He is being nurtured to become a listed company!"

Private schools in Shanghai are reported to be extremely competitive, external and so-called tiger parents can feel they have to go to extreme lengths to help their children be the best they can at school.

Tiger parenting was made famous in 2011 by the Chinese-American author Amy Chua and her best-selling book The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

However, the South China Morning Post states that in February, Shanghai authorities banned primary schools from accepting child CVs and evaluating their parents as part of that process.

'Age is only a negligible detail'

The opening page of the boy's CV says his name came from a quote - "thinking leads to success, following leads to failure" - and that his mother believes thinking should be a lifelong habit.

The boy also explains he enjoys his daily four-mile (6.5km) bus ride into school as it "goes on a scenic route" and means he "can also play with his mates".

Referencing his youth, the boy seems comfortable being five years old, saying: "Life is a marathon and age is only a negligible detail."

By Kris Bramwell, Howard Zhang and Yashan Zhao