'Old rival' scores
Beijing and Shanghai are often compared by both Chinese and foreigners as two key-cities in the Chinese mainland. In the case of kindergarten admission, the economic center certainly holds the advantage over the capital city.
"A colleague of mine, who works for our company's Shanghai branch, admitted her child to a community kindergarten with a mere payment of 4,000 yuan per year (US$ 618)," Liu said. "In comparison, what happens here is outrageous."
"She told me it is common for a state-run kindergarten in Shanghai to charge only around 4,000 per year, and parents do not have to queue up for a place," Liu added.
According to the plan announced by the Municipal Commission of Education last year, Beijing is to invest almost 1.5 billion yuan in building about 200 new kindergartens while capping tuition fees for three years.
Where has all the money gone?
According to a colleague of Liu, who admitted her son to a first-class state-run school last year, all kindergartens that received government subsidies are on a spending spree.
"My son's kindergarten underwent two renovations last year and bought many pianos," she said.
Education experts said these kindergartens are using government funds to upgrade themselves to become so-called "model kindergartens" in order to charge more tuition fees and research donations.
Liao Liying, secretary-general of the China National Society of Early Childhood Education said she worried that some state-owned kindergartens will waste opportunities and resources offered by the local government, and that they care only about promoting themselves.
"They should have increased the seats and classrooms, not bought useless pianos," Liu said in anger.
