海淀

Haidian packs in Peking University (北大), Tsinghua (清华), Renmin University, plus the 中关村 tech cluster - basically China's Silicon Valley and Ivy League rolled into one district. The name literally means 'sea shallow' - it was a marshy, lake-dotted area before Beijing expanded.

culture

海淀家长 (Haidian parents) is a well-known cultural shorthand for high-pressure, education-obsessed parenting - endless tutoring and a relentless push to place kids into top schools.