Hundreds of parents have been taking their children to look around luxury mansions in China, in order to inspire them to become rich when they are older.

As part of their 'wealth education', more than 300 parents took children as young as three to view villas worth 4 million Yuan each (£424,000) in Guangdong during the past weekend.

They wanted to show their children what they could get if they worked hard, reported People's Daily Online.

Day out: More than 300 families visited last weekend in celebration of International Children's Day

Living the dream: Parents took children as young as three to visit a luxury villa in Guangdong province

Settling in: The young children appeared to enjoy the tour of the luxury mansion, as their parents looked on

The parents regarded the tour as a gift for their children for International Children's Day, which is celebrated in China on June 1 every year.

The villas, which come complete with outdoor swimming pools, are situated in a luxury spa resort in Qingyuan City, southern China.

According to one member of staff at the resort, wealthy parents regularly take their children there to view the mansions.

The worker, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It's a frequent occurrence. Each weekend, we receive more than 50 such families, and this weekend more than 300 families have visited with their children because of Children's Day.'

Businessman Ma Renwen, who took his son around the villa on Sunday, said: 'Money might not be everything, but it certainly means something in the real world'.

'I think that such visits can inspire passion and conviction in children'.

Life of luxury: They took them to a £420,000 mansion to show them what they could achieve if they work hard

'Wealth education': A worker at the spa resort said that parents regularly visit at weekends to inspire their kids

Lan Xianming, who took his 16-year-old son to the resort, said that when his elder son was 10 he would take him to luxury developments and motor shows.

He said that now his son runs his own factory, and he believes he can inspire his other son to achieve similar success.

However, some people were quick to take to Chinese social media to criticise the trip.

One person posted: 'To instill worship of money into children's minds is dangerous.

'It may lead to a crazed desire for money'.

This could be yours one day: Parents said that trips like these could motivate children to achieve success

High society: They said it was important to show children the importance of wealth in the real world