Spare-Time Life of Chinese Children

Abstract

The report focuses on trends in children's spare time and the amount of time spent in various activities. Modernization has resulted in new opportunities and a widening of interests. Doing homework, watching television, and playing with peers take up most of the free time. Areas of growing interest include sports, travel and camping, film and television performance, music and dance, science and technology, and special topics such as environmental protection and mathematics. Student run newspapers, radio stations, and literary clubs are becoming popular. Concerns focus on the small amount of discretionary spare time due to academic pressures, and the tendency for parents to structure free time so that children have little say in what they are able to do.