Once hailed as a child prodigy in China, Zhang Xinyang, 28, recently said that sitting around and doing nothing is the key to lifelong happiness.

In a Sept 20 interview with Chinese media, Zhang said that he is now doing freelance work and he is financially dependent on his parents.

Zhang entered university at the age of 10, and attended graduate school at 13. In 2011, the 16-year-old boy became a PhD student in applied mathematics at Beihang University, one of the top institutions in Beijing. 

That same year, he sparked national controversy when he demanded that his parents buy him an apartment in Beijing worth two million yuan (S$380,000). 

If they didn't do so, Zhang told his parents that he would give up his Master’s degree and reject his PhD offer.

“You expect me to stay in Beijing more than anyone, so you should try hard for this," Zhang told his parents, who hail from a fourth-tier city in Liaoning. 

Zhang's demands at the time stemmed from his belief that owning an apartment, finding a good job and being registered as a city resident were hallmarks of success. 

To placate him, Zhang's parents ended up renting an apartment in Beijing and lied to their son they had bought it, reported Chinese media.

Although Zhang eventually completed his doctorate in 2019 and became a university lecturer, he resigned from his job two years later.

These days, Zhang lives in a rented apartment in Shanghai and only has a few thousand yuan in his bank account.

He now does freelance work, and receives an allowance of 10,000 yuan every two to three months from his parents. 

"They owe me this," Zhang said, adding: "The apartment they never bought me should be worth over 10 million yuan now." 

Despite having little to his name, the former child prodigy said he's satisfied with his current situation. 

On his meagre income, Zhang said: "I can live without working for the rest of my life. Not only can I rely on my parents, but also my parents' parents, and my parents' parents' parents." 

He also admitted that he has a rocky relationship with his parents, as he feels they control him too much. 

"They clearly don't understand anything, but they still want to give me guidance," he said. 

Zhang's current situation sparked a public debate among Chinese netizens, with some labeling his plight the "downfall of prodigy". 

One netizen said that Zhang's parents put too much pressure on him at a young age: "His parents were obsessed with cultivating a prodigy and eventually he compensated for his missing growing process in another way."

On the flip side, there were others who felt that it wasn't too late for Zhang to turn things around. 

His undergraduate teacher, Zhang Yuehui told Chinese media he felt that his former student could still achieve "big things" if he wanted to. 

"Don't ever tang ping (Chinese slang for giving up and slacking)," he said. 

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ashwini.balan@asiaone.com

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