Hohhot builds child-friendly city with innovative learning spaces

Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China, has been building itself into a child-friendly city since the Friendly Cities Initiative was written into the country's Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021.

In Hohhot's Saihan District Experimental Kindergarten, all facilities are built based on a “one-meter-high viewing angle,” which is the angle of kids.

In addition, the school introduced innovative teaching modules that will be decided by students and teachers together, and have been inviting children to help distribute meal with carts and spoons that fit their size, and design their own safety signs, slogans, and mascots.

Outside the school, Hohhot also provides varied sites and venues for children to learn and play.

At the Laoniu children's discovery museum, children are welcomed to explore society and the world, while parents are also invited to learn how to guide and communicate with their kids.

"We are offering two leaflets, one for children and one for parents. We encourage parents to participate more to guide kids on how to play and experience. So, the discovery museum is not only to accompany kids to grow, but also expecting parents to learn," said Wang Kun, a teacher at the discovery museum.

These are all parts of the city's efforts to build a child-friendly city, and to better understand children's world and listen to their voices.

"We have established a mechanism that involves over 30 departments, aiming to make the city's decision-makers practice the child-friendly concept, and incorporate the concept into the daily work of all departments and all aspects of society. By upgrading medical and health care, education, children's rights protection services, and more, the government has been ensuring kids grow up in good health, confidence, and happiness," said Ider, director of the Hohhot Development and Reform Commission.

And this is only a part of the nation-wide endeavor to offer inclusive childcare service. And currently, China has over 100,000 childcare agencies, being able to enroll around 4.8 million children.

Hohhot builds child-friendly city with innovative learning spaces

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his hope that his upcoming visit to China will help eliminate past misunderstandings and issues, underscoring the importance of ties between the two countries.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged the existing misunderstandings and issues between the two countries, noting that addressing these issues is a key goal of his visit.

"The current international landscape is turbulent, with escalating issues among various countries. In this context, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and China holds significant importance for us. the ROK and China are deeply interconnected in many areas, including history, economy, geopolitics, politics and security. Northeast Asia's peace, stability, mutual respect, and common prosperity are crucial for both countries," said Lee.

"Admittedly, there have been some misunderstandings and issues between the ROK and China, which have hindered the development of bilateral relations to some extent. Therefore, the purpose of my upcoming visit to China is to minimize or eliminate these past issues, foster a leap in our bilateral relations to a new level, and solidify the ROK and China as partners that mutually support each other's development," he said.

ROK President hopes to reduce misunderstandings with China during upcoming visit