June 1 marks China's 50th Children's Day, a day to celebrate the 315 million children under the age of 14 in China. On this occasion, different types of activities will be held for children in cities and towns across the country. Some parents take their children sightseeing; schools organize performances for their kids; various government organizations send gifts to orphanages and children from poor families.
This year's Children's Day is, of course, connected with the ongoing Shanghai World Expo; many kids will spend their day in the Expo Park.
Children are not only the biggest group attending the Expo, but also the biggest beneficiaries of the Expo. In a very real sense, the Expo's young visitors today will be building our cities tomorrow. The Expo Weekly invited 10 children from all over the world to write about their dreams for the future.
Yang Yifan, a nine-year-old boy from China:
My family lives in Beijing. It is a modern and busy cosmopolitan city.
I hope that houses in the city have wheels in the future, so that they can be moved around; we could drive our own houses to the places we like. I also hope that houses could have wings. When we are hit by an earthquake or flood, the houses could fly by themselves. It would also be better if houses had lights that sense when you're about to go to bed. When I am lying in bed about to go to sleep, it would turn darker and darker automatically. After I fall asleep, it would become completely dark. If I have a nightmare, it could get bright again.
I also hope that our city's cars could be like real "Transformers"; they could transform into an airplane or a robot with roller skates during a traffic jam. With that, I wouldn't need to worry about being late for school anymore.
Yang Yifan, a nine-year-old boy from China |
Clementine, a 5-year-old girl from France:
My name is Appelle Clécolementine and I am five years old. My mom is named Marie and my father is named Linlong.
I like painting very much. I have been in school since I was two years old. My dream is to become a mother with 20 babies.
My city is Paris. I wish there were more flowers and more lawns and it would be great if there were fewer cars. My city has shops, trees, flowers, cars, birds, dustbins, vehicles, walls and motorcycles. There are also buses, groceries and restaurants in my city.
Clementine, a 5-year-old girl from France |