Hsia Hui-wen, the principal of Kai-ping Vocational School, says that schoolyards in liberal schools look a bit chaotic, but notes that there is order in the chaos and method in the madness.

"I am confident that our educational approach at Kai-ping Vocational School makes good sense. We want to allow kids to grow up and develop their own strengths," says principal Hsia Hui-wen.

Kai-ping is a privately run vocational middle school that has gained a reputation in recent years for its liberal approach to education. The school does not enforce a hair code and its students are free to perm or dye their hair as they please. Thus, visitors are often astonished to see all sorts of hairstyles in the schoolyard.

But Kai-ping is also a renowned cooking school. When students take practical cooking lessons in the school's kitchen and dining hall, they have to dress like real chefs.

School principal Hsia Hui-wen believes that life is a many-splendored thing. Some people put a lot of emphasis on outward appearances, and some could not care less about it. Hsia says, "We cannot impose the same appearance on everyone. Instead, we have to respect kids' individual differences."

Based on these considerations, the Kai-ping Vocational School rules contain only three provisions: (1) do not cause any physical harm to others; (2) do not consume or traffic in drugs; (3) do not infringe on other people's privacy or property.