Xinhua published an article which China Youth Daily had originally carried. The article reported that a micro blog published on China Youth Daily described how middle school students catch up on their sleep after the school bell rings at the end of each class. The post received close to 4,000 comments, with many of them echoing the original post. The article stated that Chinese middle school students get less than seven hours of sleep each night due to the heavy school workload. Students were said to catch up on their sleep during class breaks or even to fall asleep during class. Some students reported that to sleep eight hours at night is a luxury for them. One school teacher wrote a comment questioning why educational reform doesn’t ease the pressure. Students face a great deal of stress and so do the teachers.

Source: Xinhua, August 8, 2016
http://education.news.cn/2016-08/08/c_129211761.htm

Training classes to package ordinary Chinese people as “fake North Korean defectors” are popping up in China. European countries recognize the defectors as refugees and give them residency and subsidies. Some Chinese have targeted the policy as a “business” opportunity.

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