Kowtowing to parents a welcome tribute

It was a spectacular scene, although it looked alien to modern Chinese society: a large number of students in a Shanghai school kneeling down in front of their parents in a traditional "ritual of worship". With solemn music playing in the background, more than 800 teenage students kowtowed or went down on their knees in a spacious hall of privately run Binxin School in Shanghai's Jiading district to pay obeisance to their parents and then listen to their "edifying words" in a show of filial piety.

The school authorities said the ceremony was held to carry forward traditional Chinese culture and revive Chinese virtues and ethics that are disappearing from society.

But the event has sparked a debate on the Internet, with critics saying the move is tantamount to forcing youngsters into humility and defending "feudal hierarchy" which prevailed in imperial China. The practice, they say, is against the modern concept of "mutual respect" and "equality". Some even claim that forcing children to go down on their knees against their will is a violation of the Law on the Protection of Minors and educational laws and regulations.