China kids sandwiched between pleasure and pressure

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-30 20:04

BEIJING - For most Chinese children, the International Children's Day, which falls on June 1, often comes with a day off and gifts from parents, and a pile of homework and extracurricular classes as well.

Chinese children are experiencing heavier pressure as well as much pleasure, which make their childhood not as carefree as that of previous generations.

Old memories VS new affluence

Wang Wenyi is a 70-year-old retired electric welder in Beijing. When the People's Republic of China was established in 1949 and the Children's Day was designated in the same year, he was 10.

"At that time, trams and parks in Beijing were free to kids when it came to the Children's Day, and we had a day off from school. I always took a tram to the Xidan downstreet and Tian'anmen square, just looking around," said Wang.

"Kids did not have much fun in old days. It was exciting for us to take a tram," Wang added.

Now he was happy to see his 11-year-old grandson having a better-off and more interesting childhood.

"He doesn't care about new clothes, delicious food or toys, because he has all he wants."

Chen Yanyan, an 24-year-old employee in an overseas-funded entertainment corporation, said he had a dream of having a bicycle since junior high school. But he did not get one until he was enrolled in college. Children now can get one at the age of 5.

Sun Ling, a public servant in Shanghai, said he would buy a kid's bicycle for his 5-year-old daughter as a Children's Day gift.

"She is so lucky and carefree".

Sun, 30, said during his childhood, he could only play with discarded wine bottle caps, small coins and self-made wood pistols.

"My uncle once brought me an electric toy gun, and I played it for years. But when it was broken, I never got new ones from my parents," Sun said.

Now his daughter's toys were thrown everywhere in the house. and she has more clothes than anyone else in the family.

"Sometimes I even feel jealous of her,"Sun said.

For kids in the countryside, many of whose parents are migrant workers in cities, their childhood is also more delightful than that of their parents.

Ma Xinjiang, 33, left his 6-year-old son in the hometown Anhui Province and earned money as a cement worker in Beijing. The son was in a local kindergarten, and Ma often sent him clothes and Ultraman toys.

"His life was much better than ours. When I was a boy, I did not even know what a kindergarten was, and I just played by myself," Ma said.

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