The survey, titled "study on the power of imagination of China's urban children", has been jointly conducted over the past two years by the China Youth and Children Research Center and the Institute of Evolutionary Psychology of Beijing Normal University.

The survey sampled a total of 1,888 primary and middle school students from six major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenyang, Nanchang and Zhengzhou with questionnaires, and made individual visits to students, teachers, parents as well as experts in related fields.

The survey includes four key points: curiosity, imagination, challenging power and spirit for adventure. The result shows that the sampled students got the highest mark of 33.5 in their curiosity, while their mark in adventurous spirit was the lowest of 24.8.

Professor Chen Huichang, who is director of the survey, said that Chinese traditional culture does not encourage children's innovation and independence, and very often adults' interest was forced on children, and children are demanded to do what they are told, stifling children's primitive interest in nature and scientific phenomena.

Professor Chen and other experts in the program called on schools and families to not only stimulate children's curiosity, but also encourage children to innovate.

(People's Daily 06/09/2001)