Children's Day in China

Children’s day is a celebration of children far and wide and is observed all over the world at different periods. In China, Children’s day is celebrated on the first day of June. In the Chinese language it translate to the June 1 International Children’s Day and was introduce in the late 40s by the state council. Kids now receive a full day break from school and there are a number of celebratory events that are held at school and around china to engage with children and their families. The day is filled with fun for all to enjoy and the atmosphere throughout this day is of joy and warmth.

The government is very supportive of this motion, even to this very day. Some children that belong to civil servants of china may receive small tokens from the government up to the age of 14 and their parent or parents (if both are working as civil servants) will be given half a day off on this day to spend time with kids. This is a very heart-warming gesture and show compassion, unity and family values in our society.

There are a few ceremonies that take place on this day as well. The Young Prioneers of China is a youth organisation for young children that was formed in the later 40s as well. After reaching the age of 14, children will have the option to join the Communist Youth League. To commemorate the events that are held on this day, entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing is free for children and there are heavy concessions for adults.

Of course on children’s day, it naturally becomes a family day and many families will gather together to go out and eat some tasty food. On this particular day I accompanied my family to help celebrate with a lovely meal filled with seafood and meat. There were no discounts on food today but I feel the restaurants are well deserving for their service in this time as it gets very busy as one can imagine. There were tonnes of people enjoying food with their family and it was quite lucky that we were able to be seated and served so quickly. I bought some gifts for the children and they were very pleased. It can also be a time of inspiration as elders will offer advice to their young ones to encourage and nurture their growth.