Cen Cheng, a primary school student in Beijing, is only seven years old, but, at his parents' direction, he is already making preparations for entering university 10 years from now.

Things are not going smoothly. Recently, his attention has begun to wander. He often feels uncomfortable. Sometimes he loses his appetite and sometimes he is gluttonous. A medical checkup indicates he has no physical disease, and his pediatrician suggested his parents take him to a psychologist.

"The reason for these symptoms is simple. It's pressure," the psychologist said. According to the psychologist, the boy's lifestyle is the source of the problem. "Feeling pressured is natural, but now many children can't bear or deal with multiple expectations and requirements, which leads to psychological problems."

Cen Cheng arranges his hectic life by the hour. In early morning, he used to be abruptly awakened by his parents or his alarm clock. But recently, he has begun to wake up on his own around 5:20 a.m. At 5:45 a.m., he begins a half-hour long-distance run outdoors or on the treadmill at home. He clearly knows that he's doing exercise, not playing.

At 7 a.m., he hoists his school bag, which weighs at least 3 kg, on his back to go to school, which is 3 km away, accompanied by his parents or grandfather. He arrives home before 5 p.m., accompanied by his grandfather, and begins his homework.

At 7 p.m., while having supper, he watches CCTV news. Actually, he wants to watch cartoons, but it's an extravagant hope for him that can only be realized on Saturdays (for two hours only). After a 15-minute post-supper rest, he boots up the computer, not to play games, but to select some exercises from a collection of teaching software. After that, he finds time to study English or recite ancient poems.

"When he was one and a half years old, we began teaching him the ABCs," Cheng's father Cen Jun said proudly. He hopes his son can grasp two or three foreign languages in the future. "When he is 10, I'll let him attend training courses for the Math Olympics."

In fact, Cheng has already attended a course for those interested in mathematics given by a private school each Saturday, although he said privately that he is not interested in math. Each Sunday, he takes violin lessons.

"We're strict with our son to lay a solid foundation for him to become a useful person in the future, and enrich his childhood life to make it significant," said Cen Jun. He disputes that his son faces a lot of pressure.

It is clear, however, that Cheng's childhood is unbalanced, since he does not have time to play. To be fair, Cheng's parents have not barred him from playing, but he has many "more important" things to do, so he has learned to give up certain activities and spends most of his spare time studying. Still, he often misses the time before he started to go to school, when he could play with his little friends in the neighborhood.

Cheng's lifestyle is typical of that of many children in China, as their parents push them to study and become involved in many activities in an effort to have them gain admission to a prestigious university and get a good job.

Zheng Yi, Director of the Beijing Mental Health Center for Juveniles and Children, noted that children should have contact with people outside their family, as such interpersonal relationship can help children learn about themselves and build up a social support network. "An overly busy child can't foster this kind of relationship," said Zheng.

For Cheng, the negative consequences have already appeared. Even when he wants to talk to his classmates, he doesn't know what to say. It often makes him feel lonely, and he has gradually become timid. When playing with the other boys and being pushed and shoved, Cheng only smiles at them. He doesn't know how to promote communication in this kind of interaction, so he is disliked by his classmates.