Howl of the ‘Wolf Dad’

中国“狼爸”将孩子“打”进北大

Businessman says hitting his kids got them into top college.
他声称，正是棍棒教育使得自己的孩子都进入了一流大学。

The list of rules in Xiao Baiyou`s house is endless: No Coca Cola while surfing the Internet, no air conditioner even in the summer, no pocket money, and definitely no socializing or extra curricular activities.
萧百佑的家规远非三言两语能讲完的：上网时不许喝可乐，甚至是夏天也不能吹空调，没有零用钱，自然也没有任何社交和课外活动。

His four children are not even allowed to open his refrigerator without getting permission.
在未经允许的情况下，他的四个子女甚至连冰箱门都不能打开。

The punishment for rule-breaking is more often than not a whack with a rattan cane.
而往往违反家规要面对的惩罚，可不仅仅是藤条鞭打那样简单了。

"A father is like a general, and there are rules to abide by and punishment to shoulder if they are broken," said the 47-year-old. "Nowadays Chinese parents are too soft; they have abandoned the traditional Chinese way of good parenting."
这位47岁的父亲说道：“父亲就像是将军，立下的规矩一旦被违反，就要接受惩罚。现今，中国的父母太过温柔，他们摒弃了中国传统的优良家教方式。”

Xiao, who was nicknamed "Wolf Dad" in a recently published memoir, even credits his stern parenting style for the fact that three of his offspring now attend Peking University, one of China`s most prestigious educational institutions.
在最新出版的自传中，萧百佑被冠以“狼爸”的绰号。他的三个孩子均被中国最高学府之一——北京大学录取，他也因为这一事实而格外信奉这种棍棒教育。

According to Xiao`s philosophy, children under 18 are like animals and cannot distinguishing right from wrong.
依据萧百佑的观点，未满18岁的孩子就像动物一样无法分辨对错。

"Only through brutal means can they be taught," he said when China Daily caught up with him at one of his Beijing homes last week.
上周，他在自己位于北京的一处住所内接受了《中国日报》的采访，他说：“只有通过这种严厉的方式才能管教好他们。”

He said his eldest son, Xiao Yao, 21, received most of the canings that were dished out - and each time his three sisters were told to stand and watch.
他说21岁的长子萧尧鞭子挨得最多，三个妹妹每次都被叫到一旁站着看哥哥挨打。

"The eldest should take the lead," he added in his usual booming voice. Xiao Baiyou grew up in Guangzhou, capital of South China`s Guangdong province, and studied finance at Ji`nan University. He later went on to build his wealth through real-estate investments and luxury goods.
他用自己一向洪亮的声音补充说道：“长子应该起到表率作用。”萧百佑在广东省省会广州长大，考入暨南大学学习金融。之后，他通过投资房地产和奢侈品行业而发家致富。

He recalls being whipped thousands of times as a child by his mother - and says he is grateful for it.
他回忆到儿时被母亲打了无数次，并表示自己很感激母亲这样做。

"Only when you are beaten frequently as a child can you learn discipline and etiquette," he said. "Bearing the pains helps strengthen your mind, build up your character and develop a strong will."
他说道：“只有在孩提时经常被打，你才能学会纪律和礼节。受苦会增强你的心智，塑造品格并培养出强韧的意志。”

The businessman added that he plans to pass on his tradition to all of his offspring, and has set an ambitious target of having more than 12 grandsons with postdoctoral degrees.
他还表示，他计划将自己的这一传统传承给自己所有的子女，他还雄心勃勃地给自己设定了在孙辈中培养出12位博士后的目标。

"As the only male in the Xiao family line, I feel obliged to cultivate a whole family of masters," he said. "To beat the kids when they violate the rules is a good method."
他说：“身为萧氏家族唯一的男性，我有责任栽培出一个硕士家族。当孩子违反家规时，打是一个好方法。”

Since releasing his memoir, which is entitled So, Brothers and Sisters of Peking University, Xiao has come under intense fire from parenting experts, some of whom called him a "ferocious and savage" father.
自从他名为《所以，北大兄妹》的自传出版以来，萧百佑受到了教育专家们猛烈的炮轰，其中有些人称他为“凶残的野蛮父亲”。

"Calling corporal punishment the `essence of a traditional Chinese education` is simply twisting the truth," said Zhu Qiang, an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, to China Daily.
南京师范大学副教授朱强（音译）在接受《中国日报》采访时表示：“将体罚称为‘中国传统教育精髓’，这显然是在歪曲事实。”

In response to the criticism, Xiao simply said that history will prove him right.
面对众多批评声，萧百佑只是简单地回应说，历史将证明他是对的。

Although he said he has stopped beating the children now at college, he insisted he will still interfere in their life, especially when it comes to studies and marriage.
他说虽然对于读大学的孩子自己已经不再实施体罚，但坚称自己仍然会干涉他们的生活，尤其是涉及到他们的学习和婚姻时。

His three eldest children, aged from 15 to 21, were not even allowed to make friends until they went to college.
他三个最年长的孩子，最小的15岁，最大的21岁，直到升入大学后才被允许交朋友。

"There`s no reason for them to make friends, let alone go on dates," Xiao said. "Friends are there to help and be made use of; this is something you cannot understand before you go to university." He also warned that he will turn away any child or grandchild who turns out to be homosexual, as he fears it will "ruin the reputation of the family".
萧百佑说：“他们没什么理由去交朋友，更别说是约会了。朋友应该能帮得上忙或是有用处的。这些事情要你上了大学后才会明白。”他还警告他们，一旦儿孙辈中有人经证实是同性恋者的话，他便会与其断绝关系，因为他担心这样会“损害家族声誉”。

Not just experts have been divided by Xiao`s parenting style. Many members of the public have also weighed into the debate to offer praise or criticism.
对于萧百佑的家教方式，不仅专家们内部分为两派，许多民众也纷纷参与热议，对此褒贬不一。

Liu Shibin, a 48-year-old taxi driver in Tianjin, said he believes the "wolf dad way" is too extreme.
来自天津，48岁的出租车司机刘仕斌（音译）认为“狼爸”的教育方式太过极端。

"You spend a quarter of your life as a child, which is a lot," said Liu, who has a teenage daughter. "As a parent I hope my child will have happy memories of childhood."
刘仕斌有一个十几岁大的女儿，他说：“童年占据一个人一生的四分之一，比例很大。作为家长，我希望自己的孩子能够拥有一段快乐的童年记忆。”

Xiao, however, dismisses the idea that his children are not happy, adding that the word "wolf" describes his character perfectly.
而萧百佑则否认了膝下子女不快乐的这一观点，并称“狼”这个词非常准确地描述了自己的性格特征。

"Wolves look ferocious and brutal, yet they have great wisdom and are exceptionally tender to their cubs," he said. "It`s just like me: My brutality is all out of love."
他说道：“虽然狼看起来凶恶残忍，但它们拥有非凡的智慧并且对幼崽格外地怜爱，就像我一样：我的无情全部都出于爱。”