'Wolf dad' stirs debate over 'stick parenting'

In China, where a formal education is still widely considered the only path toward a good future, the success of parenting books reflects many parents' desires for guidance on their parental duties, according to Sun.

Liu Weihua's "Harvard Girl Liu Yiting: a character training record" quickly became a bestseller after making its debut 2000, and has sold more than 2 million copies to date. Following its success, more biographies and autobiographies described as "manuals" for child-rearing and early education flew off the presses.

Being an only child usually means being spoiled, but at the same time, parents often set high expectations and impose strict rules.

Parents' anxieties over how to educate their children has created a market for so-called "tiger moms" and "wolf dads" to sell their parenting experience.

Some parents agree and enthusiastically endorse the wolf way.

Wang Fan, the father of a middle school student, said it's necessary for parents to be strict with their children and that he fully understands why Xiao administers physical punishment to his children.

"Parenting with sticks is Chinese tradition. Few people of our generation grew up without beatings and scoldings," said Wang, who works at a financial firm in Beijing.

Sun says China's traditional culture of filial piety, which requires children to obey their parents unconditionally, can also explain the success of the tiger and wolf parenting philosophies.

"Parents who find themselves incapable of getting their children to obey can easily be persuaded to administer physical punishment," Sun said.

"There is a fine line between physical punishment and domestic violence.In many cases, too many beatings and scoldings can lead to psychological problems for children," he added.

Although the books have become bestsellers, it's not hard to find critics of the wolf parenting style.