At $10,000 a year, MEG Bilingual International kindergarten is out of reach for most Chinese families. But for parents with high ambitions for their kids, it's worth it.

Modern facilities and prime location are a big draw, but its foreign teachers and non-stop English classes attract parents most.

November 20th marks Universal Children's Day, which aims to promote the Convention on the Rights of the Child, although one right often overlooked is the "right to play."

Kirsten Di Martino, UNICEF's chief of Child Protection, says children learn how to socialize, communicate and share, as well as solve conflicts through play.

[Kirsten Di Martino, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF]:
"Now, this is what we usually call the "forgotten right," because, of course, adults think the right to play is perhaps a luxury. They don't realize that this is actually a necessity of many children."

Under China's "one child" policy, single children are under enormous pressure to succeed as the sole providers for their parents in the future, leaving little time for play.

In the Experimental Class for the Gifted and Talented Children at Beijing's No. 8 High School, a famed project in China looks to churn out geniuses, students are accustomed to school seven days a week.

Unlike other Chinese high schools, which admit students at 16, this class chooses thirty 9-year-olds every year, preparing them for university at the age of 13.

Ten-year-old Wang Shaohan says her classmates usually have around 30 minutes of play time a week.

[Wang Shaohan, Student]:
"There are pluses and minuses. The negative side is that when we get into university, we are not mature like others. My mother said she was afraid that I would simply become a follower of others. The plus side is that I can get ahead. My mother said the best time in life is college life, so she wants me in early. It's not a bad thing to start early."

On the 20th anniversary of the Convention, many Chinese students have heads buried in textbooks or rehearse for exams, unfamiliar with the right to play.