(Minghui.org) I am a parent in mainland China. We live in a third-tier city, and the cost of living is relatively low compared to bigger cities.

My daughter has been studying music since childhood. Every 40-minute lesson costs 300 yuan. When she was preparing for the college admission test, each lesson was 40 minutes long and cost 600 yuan. In addition, there are music theory, listening, and audition courses that were 100 or 200 yuan each. These are the prices in my area.

If my daughter goes to the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, each lesson would be 1,500 yuan. A similar class would cost 2,000 or 3,000 yuan in Beijing. It also varies depending on the instructor: The more famous the instructor, the more expensive it is.

Regardless of the city, my daughter would need to pay for travel expenses, room and board, and instructional materials. Moreover, each of the classes–music theory, listening, and auditioning–would be 300 yuan. Even without a famous instructor, the cost adds up to about 10,000 yuan per month during the college admission preparation period.

Given that my family makes 5,000 to 6,000 yuan per month, supporting our daughter’s music study is a huge financial burden. We have to save a lot and live frugally. For example, every year I have thought about buying a heavier winter coat, but I wouldn’t want to spend the money, so I would keep delaying the purchase to the next year. Year after year, I never bought that coat, thinking this way I can save some money for my daughter’s study.

In China, the best place to learn music is the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. But we ordinary people can’t even dream of it. In fact, I don’t know what kind of family would be able to get in. Aside from a child’s talent, their family would need to be wealthy, powerful, and have strong connections that can get them in through the back door. Without millions of yuan, it is not possible to go there.

Even after spending that much money, few students are able to perform in top-level concerts in China, let alone world-class concerts. In China, very few artists can succeed based on skill and talent.

My family is not alone. From preschool to primary and secondary school, we have to pay for everything with our limited income. Even the preschool or kindergarten can range from 1,000 to 4,000 yuan per month. The Chinese government does not cover any of these expenses, nor does it provide any support in disasters such as floods.

Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, it is hard for a child not to be contaminated by the bad habits in art colleges nowadays in China–drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Therefore, my daughter and I have agreed that she would aim to get into the best college in our area. She would be close to home and live a virtuous life according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

I heard Shen Yun Performing Arts and Fei Tian schools waive students’ tuition and even provide stipend to students. Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, is really considerate of everything. The students there could learn dance basics and advanced skills quickly. This opportunity is not available everywhere.

As a parent, I know this is a great opportunity for students and us parents, and students who study there would not be polluted by all the vices seen in ordinary schools.

Traditional Chinese culture helps students gain kindness, gratitude, good manners, and the ability to see the big picture while minding small details. It also helps students improve their art skills quickly. But no school in China takes this approach to education.

I admire people in Western society because you have human rights, freedom of belief, and freedom of speech. You can say what you want, and there are opportunities to correct mistakes. But communist China is different, with no place for you to speak your mind and no safety. Just wanting to improve oneself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can make one a target of surveillance, arrest, and worse, and even one’s family members have to live in fear.

I hope Americans and other people living in the free world will cherish the hard-won freedoms and blessings you have.