A recent survey in Xi'an, capital of west China's Shaanxi Province says local parents find it more difficult to bear the soaring cost of their children's education.

Huangshan News reports that the average annual income of a family there is around US$ 930, while educating one child at the primary school level costs US$110.

The cost rises to nearly one third of the family's income to educate per child in secondary school, and all the family income for a child to go to college.

As a result, many families live under debts or on the breadline to to pay for their children's education.

(CRI.com December 28, 2004)