IN ITS DRAFT VERSION of the Primary and Secondary Students Behavior Code, the educational authority in East China's Zhejiang province has included the requirement that students remember their parents' birthday and express their respects to them. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Wednesday:

According to the draft code, the reason for adding the new item is because filial piety is a key part of traditional Chinese culture, but children need to be taught how to honor their parents, which begins with remembering their birthdays.

It seems to be a response to media reports that half of the surveyed middle school students didn't remember their parents' birthdays.