General Article Anxious Chinese parents cause gene testing boom as they try to discover young children’s talents

Topic Selected: Sport
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By Neil Connor

When Fan Yimei’s 11-year-old son gave up on his chess lessons to focus on fencing instead, she knew there was no point pressuring him to change his mind.

That’s because she was told months before that he would excel in sports, while more studious past times were not in his DNA.

Her son is one of thousands of children in China who have undergone genetic testing which purportedly ‘reveal’ what talents they will develop in later life.

‘My two baby boys were also tested, and I was ...

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