China’s “Hardship Camps” Put Children Through Paid Farm Work

What changed

Chinese parents are paying thousands of yuan to send their children to “hardship camps,” where they haul bricks, work in fields and clear cow dung from cowsheds. Psychologists warn that pushing children too far can backfire.

Why it matters

The camps turn hardship into a paid experience: something families buy in the hope that it will teach children toughness. The physical work is clear. The outcome is not.

Psychologists’ warning is the important brake on the idea. Pressure may be intended as a lesson, but excessive pressure can cause harm rather than resilience. How widespread the camps are, and what effects they produce, remains unclear.