An entrepreneur has conducted a series of extreme training sessions for his son.
A video of He Yide, four, running naked in the snow was posted online recently.
In the clip, the boy – whose pet name is Duoduo – is seen running in a snowy morning with temperatures hitting -13 Celsius, wearing only a pair of shoes and underwear.
It is clearly heard that the boy was crying while begging his father to carry him. To watch the video, click here.
The harsh training has sparked a heated debate online in China, with some netizens complaining that the act was a case of child abuse.
Duoduo is a premature baby with complications and doctors said he might suffer from dementia, said his 44-year-old father – who only wanted to be identified as Mr He.
But He – an ex-teacher - and his wife did not give up.
"After two months of treatment, Duoduo was finally allowed to return home.
"After that, I started planning a series of training for him to make sure that he grows up healthily," said He, who described himself as an 'Eagle Father'.
When an eaglet grows to a certain age, its mother would push it down from a high cliff to force it to learn how to fly, he explained.
"It may be cruel but if Duoduo is over-protected, he may become lazy and lack fighting spirit. I don't want him to become a greenhouse flower."
He said he started taking Duoduo to swim in water with a temperature of 25 degree Celsius, 10 days after he was discharged from hospital.
"His training session is fixed at eight hours daily since he was six months old.
"When he was two, he started following me to climb the 448-metre high Zijin Mountain and I never had to carry him."
And now, Duoduo's training sessions include jogging for 3km, cycling, rope climbing and he also takes up wushu, Taekwondo and street dancing classes.
He said that the boy behaves like a normal kid and has excellent health now.
But He – an ex-teacher - and his wife did not give up.
"After two months of treatment, Duoduo was finally allowed to return home.
"After that, I started planning a series of training for him to make sure that he grows up healthily," said He, who described himself as an 'Eagle Father'.
When an eaglet grows to a certain age, its mother would push it down from a high cliff to force it to learn how to fly, he explained.
"It may be cruel but if Duoduo is over-protected, he may become lazy and lack fighting spirit. I don't want him to become a greenhouse flower."
He said he started taking Duoduo to swim in water with a temperature of 25 degree Celsius, 10 days after he was discharged from hospital.
"His training session is fixed at eight hours daily since he was six months old.
"When he was two, he started following me to climb the 448-metre high Zijin Mountain and I never had to carry him."
And now, Duoduo's training sessions include jogging for 3km, cycling, rope climbing and he also takes up wushu, Taekwondo and street dancing classes.
He said that the boy behaves like a normal kid and has excellent health now.
