China will study the body measurements of more than 20,000 young people aged from four to 17 in September in order to get a clearer picture of the shape and size of young Chinese bodies.

The body measurement survey is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology and will be conducted by the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) under the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

"It will be the largest national survey since 1949. More than 170 data items will be produced, to meet demands from sectors like clothing, education, leather, furniture, sports goods, transportation and architecture," said Zhang Xin from the CNIS Thursday.

The survey will be the most extensive one both in geographical terms and in the number of young people surveyed since the founding of New China, he added.

The survey will be completed at the end of 2006 and made public next year.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)