School killings dampen Children's Day festivities
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Song Qing, a 4-year-old who goes to the capital's Huixinli kindergarten, is sad she won't be able to prance around on stage on Children's Day, which falls next Tuesday.
The kindergarten had planned to stage a show on the occasion next Monday, and Song had been practicing her dance moves every day.
But the show has now been cancelled.
Following a series of vicious attacks on school children in recent months, the Huixinli kindergarten said it was worried about the safety of its children and called off all activities planned for Children's Day.
"I don't think any kindergarten will hold major assemblies on June 1, as bustling crowds of children may attract the bad guys," said Song's mother surnamed Chen.
Fearing security issues, several kindergartens and schools in the national capital have held back on Children's Day celebrations, even as the local police have strengthened security outside Beijing's campuses.
On March 23, a man stabbed eight children to death in front of a primary school in Nanping, Fujian province. The brutal act kick-started a trend of sorts across the country, with a string of school attacks claiming 17 innocent lives and injuring more than 50.
Last Tuesday, 18 ministries and commissions of the central government jointly issued a notice, urging all localities and departments to ensure the safety of children on Children's Day, when schools often organize activities and trips for their students.
Close on the heels of the notice, the Beijing government issued new regulations to strengthen campus security on Children's Day, asking kindergartens and schools to submit plans of all activities for the day.
Without valid permission from the government, schools cannot hold any activity this year.
"There should be one security guard for every 15 students," said an official with the Chongwen Education Commission, who did not want to be named.
The Xuanwu district government has decided to send police officers on activities that have more than 200 students, the Beijing Times reported.
Peng Junjuan, head of a kindergarten in Beijing's Fengtai district, said this year's Children's Day celebrations will be held inside the campus, where parents will not be allowed.
The Huixinli kindergarten, besides calling off the Children's Day celebrations, has cancelled all post-classes training sessions.
Muzi, 6, who used to attend chess classes at the kindergarten every evening, is upset with the decision to cancel after-school activities, but his grandfather said he understands the reason behind the tough call.
"A kindergarten should prepare for the worst possible situation. So I understand the reasons behind implementing such measures," he said.
"The safety of children is not only the responsibility of parents. Schools, kindergartens and the whole nation is also responsible for their safety."
He added that he plans to take his grandson to a Beijing park on Children's Day.
"We have no reason to be scared. The police is there to protect us," he said.
On May 14, Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, said if anyone attempts to hurt school children again, the police will enforce the law firmly without hesitation.
Parks and playgrounds across the city are also geared to ensure children's safety.
Wang Yue, who works at the Beijing Happy Valley Amusement Park, said the park will strengthen security starting this weekend.
"Children's Day falls on Tuesday, so we're expecting a lot of visitors this weekend," he said.
An administrator of the Beihai Park who refused to be named said: "We have several plans, such as personal security, overflow arrangement and visitor transportation."
However, she added the park had witnessed a drop in the number of visitors this year, and not many people are expected this Children's Day.
"I don't know whether the drop is related to the recent attacks on children but we are expecting fewer visitors this Children's Day."
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