On the occasion of International Children's Day, China reminds children that healthy growth is not just a matter of school success, but of comprehensive care for body, mind and spirit. Under a new policy in Beijing, school breaks have been extended by five minutes since autumn 2024, giving students more time for physical activity and rest.
"I have a lot of energy after exercising," says student Zhou Lezhi from Beijing. "I like that we can make up activities on our own." The trend is spreading to other parts of the country, with local governments across China introducing measures to encourage a balance between learning and physical activity.
President Xi Jinping has long promoted a vision that children's health must come first. In his visits to schools, in meetings with children and in his replies to their letters, he stresses the importance of the physical fitness of the younger generation as the foundation of the strength of the entire nation.
During his visit to Yuying School in 2023, the President reminded that the education of children should not only strengthen their knowledge but also their moral qualities, aesthetic perception, work habits and above all, physical fitness. He said sports and exercise are the most effective way to develop a healthy body and spirit.
This approach is also reflected in legislative and policy actions. In 2021, a development plan for children for the period 2021-2030 was issued. A year later, the Physical Culture and Sports Act was revised and updated for the first time since its adoption in 1995. New chapters focus specifically on "national fitness" and "school and youth sports".
In June 2023, the central authorities published a directive on the establishment of a balanced public education system, and in 2024, the Ministry of Education, together with the health authorities, issued detailed guidelines on the prevention of myopia in kindergarten and primary school children.
The 2035 vision also includes an ambitious goal: that primary and secondary school pupils spend at least two hours a day moving around. This is China's way of countering rising obesity and myopia rates. So schools are expanding quality PE with a focus on speed, strength, agility and endurance.
"China will only be strong if its children are strong," President Xi reminds. In a country where children's health is becoming strategically important, Children's Day is not just a celebration but a call to action.
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