A primary school in central China's Henan Province recently broadcast a childbirth video in class, aiming to instill in students greater respect for their mothers, but parents and experts who saw the film were skeptical, saying it was "too bloody" for children.

During a "thanksgiving education" class, the grade-two students, aged seven to eight, of Qinlinglu Primary School in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, watched a video of a Caesarean section operation with their parents, The Beijing News reported on Saturday.

"It's a Dracula movie. I was scared," said a boy after watching it. Some parents said the scenes were "too bloody" and improper for children to watch.

However, many students said they were moved by the mother love presented in the short film.

Cao Jianping, the school's headmaster, who watched the video beforehand, said the scenes in the video were instructive and could be a positive experience for the children if handled properly under teachers' guidance.

Why the school chose to present a video of a Caesarean section operation rather than a normal, natural childbirth remains a mystery. Some experts commented that there was a risk that children would think that birth was always a traumatic affair involving surgery.

Schools in China have traditionally attached little importance to education about sex and childbirth. Sex is a taboo that most school textbooks skirt around, said a source with the educational bureau of Zhengzhou City, who also suggested that the school use a "mild" approach to encourage students to respect their mothers.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2007)