Writer suggests parents rethink pressures on young people

When writer Liang Hong began looking into why some children were refusing to go to school and struggling with emotional and psychological problems, she initially approached the subject with curiosity. As she spoke with parents and gathered stories, however, she came to see a growing concern that could no longer be treated as a series of isolated cases.

"If we don't pay attention to it, an individual problem could develop into a problem affecting a wider group, and we will have to take action," Liang told China Daily during an interview in Beijing before attending La Nuit des idees (Night of Ideas), an event organized by the French embassy in Beijing.

Her book Yao You Guang (Let There Be Light) examines the difficulties facing young people and the pressures surrounding their families. Drawing on conversations with parents and children, Liang explores how academic competition, family expectations and wider social conditions can affect children's well-being.

For Liang, a professor at Renmin University of China, parents are not necessarily the primary cause of a child's difficulties, but they are often the first people who are able to respond.

"Your child cannot wait," she said, arguing that parents should not put off action until the education system or society as a whole changes. They can begin by examining their own expectations, listening to their children and reconsidering how they approach education.

She also cautioned against placing all the responsibility on families. Schools, employers and society have a part to play in easing the pressures on young people. Long working hours, for example, can leave adults with little time for relationships, leisure or interests beyond work, while the anxiety they experience can spill over into family life.

Since the book's publication in September 2025, Liang said, she has received messages from parents, young people and teachers who found its accounts relevant to their own experiences. Some parents have reconsidered their relationships with their children, while teachers have discussed the book with colleagues and at parent meetings.

The responses have encouraged her, she said, not simply because readers have found comfort in the book, but because they are willing to reflect and make changes.

"Complaining cannot change anything," Liang said. "If everyone starts by thinking about what they can do themselves, that is the most important thing."