He deemed that keeping up handwriting helps nurture love for the Chinese language, cultivate moral character and increase an aesthetic sense.

In Shenzhen, some parents have taken action to avoid their kids relying too much on electronic devices. They jointly petitioned to local educational bureaus and demanded a stop to textbooks being replaced with an iPad.

In an open letter circulated on the Internet, the parents cited a school in the US.

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula in the middle of Silicon Valley is a private institution with many students whose parents are executives in the technological industry, working for firms like Google and Apple. But the school sticks to ways of yore, with blackboards, chalk, pens but no computers.

The education department of Futian district in Shenzhen eased parents' worries in late June, saying that digital devices would only be used for supplementary assistance and the kids could choose to use tablets voluntarily.

"iPads can not necessarily help enhance children's ability to read and calculate. I'd rather my child do more homework by hand rather than watch and type on digital screens," said Zhao Zhenying, father of a 5-year-old daughter. He said he makes his girl practice handwriting every day.