Summer camp teaches Chinese culture and gives parents a break
A child reads the Thousand Character Classic, which was used as a Chinese "alphabet song" in elementary education for more than 1,400 years.
Putuo District just finished a trial summer camp today which taught traditional Chinese culture to local children during their summer holiday.
About 200 elementary school students from the Changshou community took part in the month-long camp that incorporates Chinese poems, ink paintings and traditional handicrafts such as sugar and dough figurines, grass weaving and movable printing.
About 200 elementary school students at the Changshou Community take part in the month-long camp.
The camp, which was free of charge, was sponsored by the Juequn Cultural and Educational Fund under the city's Jade Buddha Temple and the community's social welfare foundation.
"The camp aims to free children from mobile phones and video games during the summer vocation and enlighten them with traditional Chinese culture," an official with the Juequn foundation said.
The courses have been designed to help children establish a positive outlook which will benefit them for life, the official added.
The recital of the Thousand Character Classic, for instance, which was used as a Chinese "alphabet song" in elementary education for more than 1,400 years, lets children study astronomy, geography, nature, society and history. Together with the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, it was an integral part of ancient "enlightenment" textbooks.
Children study sugar figurines, a traditional folk handicraft.
The foundation plans to promote the camp to other local communities during both summer and winter vacations.
The camp also solves the problem working parents have trying to take care of their children during the summer vocation, an official with the Changshou Road Subdistrict said.
A child showcases her movable printing work. The movable type printing is one of China's four great historic inventions along with gunpowder, the compass and paper making.
