Gu Ailing Photo: Li Hao/GT

 Chinese netizens gave a big applause to the mother of the freestyle skiing star Gu Ailing who received the gold medal in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games for her parenting style after interview clips of the elder Gu went viral on social media. 

According to a poll launched by China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Wednesday, over 75,000 Chinese netizens said that great talent, effort and self-discipline as well as family background have contributed to the young super idol's great success.

Many Chinese netizens took to social media to discuss the elements of Gu Ailing's huge success, and gave a high compliment to her mother Gu Yan's education methods. 

The hashtag "Gu Ailing's mother says she doesn't need daughter to go to Stanford" began trending on Sina Weibo on Wednesday, quickly topping 290 million views. 

According to the viral videos, Gu Yan told Gu Ailing that she does not have to go to Stanford just because it is the alma mater of her own or because her father graduated from Harvard.

"Every time she said something like this, I told her that you don't need to go to Stanford. You can go to any school as long as you like it, but more importantly, you should never give up learning all your life," the elder Gu says in one video. 

A number of netizens suggested that Gu Yan should write a book on parenting to share the methods she used to raise her daughter.

"Children with elite education are confident and sunny. They cannot be defined but can create infinite possibilities in life," one Chinese netizen wrote in a comment that received numerous likes on Sina Weibo. 

Another hashtag outlining the mother's parenting ethos, "The first is to sleep more, the second is to study, and the third is to play," also gained considerable attention on social media.

"Sleeping more helps develop intelligence, especially in adolescence. Sleeping is also the period when your brain develops, so more sleep will make you smarter," one netizen wrote on Sina Weibo.

Some education experts told the Global Times on Wednesday that Gu Ailing can embody the advantages of both Chinese and US educations combined. 

Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow from the National Institute of Education Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that talent and talent in full play are the two biggest elements that have contributed to Gu Ailing's success.

"To achieve such success, the key factor is her interest and ambition formed in an environment without too much pressure, and her self-confidence and perseverance to achieve this ambition," Tan Songhua, an adviser to the Chinese Society of Education, told the Global Times on Wednesday

Gu Ailing started skiing when she was 3 years old, and later chose to focus on free skiing. Although her mother did not agree with her choice, she supported her regardless.

Her upbringing was highlighted by the love from her mother and grandmother. This kind of love is prominently reflected in the attention they paid to Gu Ailing's healthy growth. As her mother said, parenting should not be limited to just focusing on academic performance and test scores, but should also include comprehensive care for children's free choice.