An enriching break

At a time many of his fellow students are marooned at home, working on homework and surfing TV channels, Lin Jiayang, a third grader-to-be in September in Beijing's Daxing district, is following a robust and vigorous schedule for the two-month summer holidays.

The 9-year-old gets up at 7:30 am and his mother drives him to a 3-hour class at private schools: fine arts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Chinese chess on the other three days.

Without much homework to slog on, Lin spends the afternoon learning Korean with his younger sister. Their father, a South Korean, has compiled software for the siblings to learn the language at home.