Just ahead of Children’s Day, the Office of the Beijing Municipal Working Committee on Children and Women launched the “Beijing Child-Friendly Themed Routes” in collaboration with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources, Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management, and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. During the summer vacation, the city organized the “Kids on the Go in Beijing” tours along these routes. Thirty children participated as “Junior Child-Friendly Experience Officers.” They explored child-friendly spaces along the routes from a “one-meter-high” perspective and experienced firsthand Beijing’s commitment to building a child-friendly city.

On August 22, the first tour kicked off at Huangchenggen Relics Park, where the children became “little hutong gardeners at the foot of the Imperial City.” They learned about the history and culture of the Huangchenggen Relics and spotted child-friendly facilities at street corners. The group then visited Meihousishi Jingshan Community Cultural Center, one of Beijing’s exemplary child-friendly spaces. The children were captivated by its child-friendly settings, including a reading lounge, play area, art gallery, and family cinema—so much so that they were reluctant to leave.

The children then headed to the Space Garden at No. 1 Houju Courtyard. Along the way, they admired the pocket gardens dotting the streets of Jingshan Subdistrict and listened to a plant expert explain space-based planting techniques. Under the expert’s guidance, they planted rose bushes themselves. At a children’s forum that followed, they shared their impressions of the tour, imagined what a truly child-friendly city could look like, and proposed ideas such as adding more interactive facilities and setting up dedicated play areas.

On August 23, the second tour, “Little Planners Explore the Central Axis”, took place at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. Using a model of the city’s master plan, the children learned about Beijing’s urban planning framework and glimpsed the city’s long-term development vision. At the Dazhalan Party-Mass Service Center, they immersed themselves in the neighborhood’s transformation through interactive screens, AI-powered virtual outfit try-ons, glasses-free 3D displays, and other engaging formats, while also examining child-friendly design upgrades and seeking out their favorite child-friendly settings. The children then visited Tongrentang, the century-old pharmacy on the Central Axis, where they explored exhibits on traditional Chinese medicine, tried out interactive facilities, and studied the wayfinding design—all while learning about Tongrentang’s century-old history and the living legacy of traditional Chinese medicine, and gained an appreciation of traditional Chinese culture. During a post-tour forum, the children offered their suggestions, and many of them said that the experience had strengthened their sense of responsibility as young citizens of the city.

To advance the development of a child-friendly city and deepen its integration with the culture and tourism sectors, the Office of the Beijing Municipal Working Committee on Children and Women and other departments will release the Guide to Exploring Beijing’s Child-Friendly Themed Routes. The guide aims to encourage children’s participation in social and public affairs, invite them to offer suggestions for urban development, and strengthen their awareness and ability as young masters of the city, helping them to see a further future from a “one-meter-high” perspective.