The answer I’ve received from several Asian-Americans who I’ve asked about this is that their parents would beat them if they didn’t excel.
The lady who cuts my hair is Chinese, laughed when I showed her your comment and simply responded, “Beating not necessary because they grew up know what was expected of them. Not doing well is not an option.” Her two children are in junior high and the parents always find someplace in the summer for them to attend that has a structured educational program. If the children have no homework during the school week, their father assigns them an education project to work on and they must present a written and verbal report to both their parents.
TV is not on in their house during the week, only rarely during the weekend, there are no video games and at Christmas there is only one small gift under their tree. Instead their family has their large “gift exchange” with the children after they receive their final grade card for the year and then it’s only one “larger” gift.
Just an entirely different attitude than most American families toward education and the father is a large part of the educational process.