The tradition of parents accompanying their children during their studies has existed for a long time. But since China entered the twenty-first century, and especially after college enrollment expanded, things have changed. Universities no longer assign jobs to their graduates, while colleges and vocational schools have expanded and need to recruit students. Yet there are only so many top universities, such as those in the 985 and 211 programs. Hoping to get their children into a better college, parents have begun competing ever more fiercely. They devote themselves to caring for their children in high school, taking over every responsibility so the kids can focus solely on studying. They hope their children will earn high scores and get into a good university after three years, so they won't have to endure the same hardships their parents did.
