Most countries have versions of this, not unique to China. Many parents are willing to use their kids to achieve what they could not and be successful even in horrible ways. In the US you have child stars, beauty competition, sport sponsorships, talent scouts and alot more horrible ones I won't mention, ways that parents push their kids into fucked up industries, drugs, surgeries etc.

Not to defend this, but to say I wouldn't blame China but instead the international culture of everybody that watches a video of children online or tv. Stop it, it is never for the enjoyment of the child, always the fucked up adults around them.

I always cringe when someone shows me a video of someone who has an amazing singing talent and it's some 7 year old...

sure, this does exist in many places, but not to the extent that it happens in china. in the west these cases are the exception, in china they are more like the norm.

what the kids enjoy is getting their parents approval. that's what encouragement does. the key is to encourage children to do things that are actually good for them. i am glad my chinese wife got trained as a montessori teacher. they know a thing or two about what's actually good for kids.