A sign on the door of Yuan Honglin’s ocean-front townhouse in the southern city of Xiamen says “study at home”. To Mr Yuan that means “instead of going to school”. That is what he decided was best for his daughter, Xiaoyi, when she grew bored with kindergarten in 2002. He withdrew her and became her full-time teacher for the rest of her school career. It was a radical choice. In the West home schooling, once regarded as eccentric, has become more popular in recent decades. In China officials are wary. They say schools play a vital role in turning children into “builders of socialism”. But growing numbers of Chinese parents are rebelling.

It was not easy for Mr Yuan, a think-tanker turned businessman. Official permission is required for home schooling during the nine years of compulsory education, which usually spans the period between the ages of six and 15. It is given only in rare circumstances, such as when a child suffers from a medical condition with which schools cannot cope. As a precaution, Mr Yuan moved home several times to avoid attention. His tactics worked. Last year Xiaoyi graduated from university with a self-taught degree. Mr Yuan still teaches at home, though his dozen full-time students are from other families.

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