For most children in the world, a smile is a symbol of happiness that appears without effort. This is no longer the case for primary school student Huang Xiaoping.

Whenever Huang, 8, realizes that her smile is not displaying at least eight teeth, she covers her mouth and rethinks the movement. A similar correction is made when noticing that a welcoming bow has not fallen to exactly 30 degrees.

The student from Baijiazhuang Primary School attends etiquette classes at the institution and is determined to modify how she greets people into "a correct and official way".

"I used to think smiling was how the face reacts to pleasure and happiness," she said. "But now I understand this is not always the case."

Huang said smiling is also a gracious and courteous move made when greeting someone or showcasing appreciation.

Huang's unusually mature outlook is the result of a plan to strengthen manners and cultivate moral standards in primary and middle school students, set by Ministry of Education on Dec 30.

For primary school grades one to three, the guidelines state that students should learn greeting techniques, traffic rules and improve their overall care for the elderly. Students in grades four to six should have lessons in manners and respecting the customs of differing ethnic groups.

In middle school, teachers are required to instruct students about politeness, for face-to-face communication as well as in e-mails and text messages. For high schools, they are required to teach grooming and the importance of queuing.