I have something I would like to say about the discipline and hard work aspects you mentioned. I'm Chinese, and religion hasn't been as significant in my experience as yours, but shame is certainly significant. I'm guessing that people – including me, of course – spend an astonishing amount of time (and in many cases more than work) playing with electronics has something to do with some shame. Of course, shame is more about what others impose on you, especially considering that you can't leave the classroom at will when the teacher is reprimanding the students, giving motivational speeches, emphasizing discipline and saving time, and promoting rules and punishments. I feel that China's primary and secondary schools are to a certain extent like schools in other parts of the world, but also like religions in other parts of the world. In addition to planting the seeds of hard work and punishing laziness, they also sow the seeds of rules and discipline – although they are not really clearly linked to hard work (in principle, people can also work hard when they don't follow schedules, clothing, etc., and the punishment for laziness doesn't have to be based on rules). Did I become a harder worker? No. Maybe it was because of my anger at being restrained, or because I spent 4 years lazily in college, or, as people say, the result of a lack of discipline. People will talk about whether you want to mitigate it to gain the other person's buy-in, or break the other person's rebellion, or use some combination of the two, if it's not as effective because of "rebellion". People seem to live a fake life, not making choices for themselves, but confusing the difficulties of real life with the punishment that others deliberately give them when them not really hurting others. I think a culture that doesn't distinguish between the two is an immoral culture — of course, if you distinguish between the two and support the purpose of constraining others without them harming other people as their "character enhancement" or for some other purpose, then it's also an immoral culture. I can't prove that this will do more harm than good, but I love freedom – or more accurately, hate the opposite.

I guess it's mostly American here. Then I want to say to you: I don't believe in the vast majority of constraints on children, I don't think adults should have that much power, and I believe that children's freedom is also important. Most parents probably don't think the same way I do. If, unfortunately, things go as I have already mentioned, I have an indulgent desire: I want every child to have some at least a few months, without facing any tasks, constraints, disciplines, reprimands or punishments, just playing with their phones for weeks on end, and, I advise them to think about their freedom, to be able to feel that they shoule be allowed to have freedom even as children, and, I advise – only advise – to make some attempts to learn without constraints and completely as willings freely.

If I am to speak to people here, I can't use expressions like these. Some children are ashamed of any words, even "rebellious" words; because any words will be used to "spur" them. I have to be more rebellious and angry to express my opinions, and be to its full.

When Chinese children see a sign on a train, they will feel ashamed that they have not worked hard to learn geography and calligraphy, just because the sign is a place name printed out by a printer. This is far from a true intrinsic motivation; shame is far from a free choice that a person can control at will.