"Spent 10 Million Won on Private Education in 40 Days... Chinese Parents at Breaking Point"

'Prestigious University Study Tour' for Domestic and Overseas Travel
24% of Parents Spend Over 1.85 Million KRW

Xu Ling (45), who lives in Beijing, China, was shocked after checking her credit card statement in July. The amount spent on her two children, a middle schooler and an elementary schooler, exceeded 50,000 yuan (about 9.19 million KRW).

According to China Times on the 13th, posts from parents with the keyword "summer bill" were appearing on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu.

The appearance of an academy in China.
Photo by Weibo

The cost lists they posted in a "verification" format showed how much money a family of three?parents and child?spent on a five-day domestic trip in China. On average, it cost about 10,000 yuan (about 1.85 million KRW), and if the trip was longer or overseas, it ranged from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (about 5.52 million to 9.19 million KRW).

That’s not all. Chinese families with high educational enthusiasm also apply for "study tours" to visit prestigious universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, spending 5,000 to 6,000 yuan (about 920,000 to 1.1 million KRW) in less than a week.

Many families choose "interest classes" costing 200 to 300 yuan per hour (about 37,000 to 55,000 KRW). Registering for just a few subjects can exceed 10,000 yuan.

Families preparing for high school entrance exams hire one-on-one tutors during vacations. A 16-session physics course costs 12,000 yuan (about 2.2 million KRW), and a 10-session math course totals 2,000 yuan (about 368,000 KRW). Separate registrations for piano, dance, and English classes cost 10,000 yuan.

According to Yonhap News, a parent named Liu from Hebei Province spent 5,000 yuan (about 920,000 KRW) on a two-week programming course, 7,000 yuan (about 1.29 million KRW) on table tennis lessons, and 2,400 yuan (about 440,000 KRW) on online English classes for his third-grade elementary school son. If they add travel expenses, the total can reach 40,000 yuan (about 7.35 million KRW).

One parent posted on Xiaohongshu, "I just want my child’s school to start soon. My wallet really can’t take it anymore."

According to a recent survey by a media outlet in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 35.27% of Chinese parents spend between 5,000 and 10,000 yuan (about 919,000 to 1.85 million KRW) related to summer vacation.

Following that, 30.62% spend between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan (about 368,000 to 919,000 KRW), and 23.64% spend between 10,000 and 30,000 yuan (about 1.85 million to 5.52 million KRW). Travel and supplementary classes accounted for 36.34% and 24.5% of summer vacation expenses, respectively.

Regarding this, Times Weekly added, "No matter how hard it is, you cannot make your child suffer, and no matter how poor you are, you cannot avoid spending money on education. This mindset continues to be passed down through generations."