Children's ambitions and life goals in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, are surprisingly diversified, a survey shows.
Having a promising job with decent pay has become the ideal life goal for more and more high school students in this city, the survey reports.
Some students said they want to be another Bill Gates, a CEO or a white-collar worker and others want to go to elite universities, which are closely connected with their future employment.
And "a happy family and a good occupation" have also become some students' top objective in their lives.
Such results were found in a month-long survey called "tell it like it is," which had 198 high school students in three high schools and one vocational school in Hangzhou complete a secret questionnaire on student morals.
Conducted by the Care for Next Generation Commission of the Education Bureau of Hangzhou, the survey aims to find out youth's true feelings and thoughts, according to the organizers.
When being asked about the goal in life, most students chose to be a wealthy person, enjoying life for the sake of practical self-interest, while some younger ones prefer devoting their lives to their country.
But most of them have a strong sense of national identity, and about 89.9 per cent of them are proud of being Chinese.
Topping societal issues are the reunification of the motherland, the country's social and economic development and the education reform, according to the survey.
Credibility
Moreover, the survey says credibility is taken as the most critical quality by students.
For example, about 84.8 per cent students said they would not cheat on school tests without a proctor watching closely.
And most of students expressed their active attitude towards difficulties in life and they intended to follow the spirit of "tolerance, forbearance, understanding and conciliation" in conflict.
About 92.6 per cent youngsters are inclined to join in activities aiming to help others.
However, a few students are very pessimistic about their future and apathetic to the adult world.
(China Daily November 8, 2004)
