From 1979 to 1981, the number of China’s first generation of only-children had already reached 90 million. Now they are in their mid-to-late twenties, and are a full 7% of the total population. The number of only children born between 1982 and 1998 is estimated to be around 320 million, or, about 24% of the population. At this point, preschools have come to view the “one-child syndrome” as a hot topic worthy of deeper understanding.

Now, Chinese preschools are paying more attention to so-called “character education,” adding some lighthearted elements to the curriculum and helping students become better people all-around. The original purpose for creating these courses was to have another line of defense against the phenomenon of an excess of information and a dearth of character, while still imparting knowledge, cultivating talent, and instilling a sense of morality.

The teaching methodology used in this class is referred to as the Orff Music Teaching Method. The class synthesizes the sights, sounds, and textures of childhood to form a musical performance art. Rhythm is stressed above all, but elements of language and melodies are included. The ultimate goal is to make learning more lively and entertaining, and increase students’ musical capabilities. This kind of music education maintains the comprehensive, gradual, creative, and group-oriented character of the original Orff teaching philosophy, using music as the underlying approach to teaching a range of subjects. In all kinds of musical activity, the students’ physical awareness, imagination, and creativity, as well as appreciation for music itself, are continually stressed.

The wushu class you see here is not an additional outside course families have registered for on their own, but rather, a normal part of the daily routine the kindergarten offers boys in school here. For the girls, ballet classes are offered. And even for a society where concepts of gender-appropriate roles are strong, this sort of distribution is still rare. It has, however, received rave reviews.

Every afternoon around five o’clock, the kindergarten’s main entrance begins to look something like a parking lot, as parents and other caretakers arrive to pick up their children. As recently as four or five years ago, the vast majority of children would have been taken home by bike, or just walked. With this new mode of transportation, kids have learned a lot about the car market.