The other day I read about a young genius in the Shanghai Morning Post. Meng Fanzhe is a three-year-old boy who began to show miraculous painting skills at an age of just one year and seven months. Without any instruction, he managed to paint tortoises, fish, lotuses and birds so vividly that flattery and praise from famous painters fell upon him thick and fast. Over the past two years, the boy has exhibited 1,000 ink paintings and won many prizes in various painting contests. He has also held a personal exhibition and published three albums. The young prodigy has now been offered a position as painter-in-residence at the Su Dongpo Gallery, the youngest since its establishment.

The report reminds me of another talented boy by the name of Fang Zhongyong in a historical story. Not seeing any books or stationery before age five, one day the boy suddenly cried out for a brush and paper and wrote down elegant articles and poems in one go. Out of curiosity and admiration, people from far and near crowded to his house to buy his works. Fang's father was very happy to make such a quick profit, so he kept the child writing and writing, never sparing him any time for learning. Finally the child exhausted his creative powers and fell into mediocrity.

Obviously, the parents of the two families treated their genius children almost in the same way - keeping them displaying their talents at a very intense rate. It is quite understandable that parents, taking great pride in their talented children, would tirelessly show them off. And the fact that the kids turned out to be a source of income at such a young age just adds to the joy. Consciously or unconsciously, they tend to exploit their kids' special talents without limit.

In fact, much more painstaking efforts should be made to cultivate a real genius. Though favoured by God, a genius still needs learning and practice for self-perfection. As the old saying goes, the best horse needs breaking in and the aptest child needs teaching. A master teacher should be introduced to satisfy the young talent's strong desire for knowledge - as a guide to delve into their interests and develop their gifts to the full.

On the other hand, particular attention should be paid to a genius' psychological health. Sometimes, early success is achieved at the cost of a child's childhood. Flowers and applause are usually accompanied by poor communication and co-ordination, a potential obstacle in any future life. Flattery and commercial promotion easily tempt the child to pursue a false reputation and material gain. Even adults can easily lose themselves in fame and wealth, children even more so. Gradually, interest can turn into an obligation or a heavy burden, and pleasure can become toil. Pressure together with character defects can stifle a child's talent bit by bit. When the talent is gone, the child is more likely to feel disillusion and emptiness than a normal child.

Therefore, the child should be taught to pursue self-realization instead of superficial success; to develop self-confidence instead of self-conceit; to be communicative and co-ordinated. It may not be easy to make a genius slick or agreeable, but at least they should be friendly and easy-going.

Properly nurtured, a genius may bring glory to the family; improperly nurtured, a genius may fall victim to his talent, together with his parents. The line is very hard to draw. Probably the best approach is: Never treat a genius as a genius and instead, let him or her grow up naturally.