Will I become a dog if I am bitten by a dog? What should I do if my house catches on fire? What should I do if I am bullied by hooligans? What should I do if I'm kidnapped?
These questions may be easy to answer for an adult. They were, however, far removed from five-year-old Yingying's mind until she visited the Children's Safety and Self-protection Exhibition with her mother at the Beijing Children's Palace in July.
The exhibition, sponsored by the Cultural and Educational Section of the British Embassy and the Chinese People's Public Security University, explained to children how to avoid offending others and becoming victims themselves.
Most parents attending the exhibition were concerned about their children's self-defense.
"Yingying is such a cute and obedient girl that I don't believe she'll bully others or commit any offence," said her mother, Zhang Guoying. "But I often worry about what she is doing when she is alone at home or outside."
Following the country's call for family planning, many urban couples have decided to have only one child. Parents' anxiety about the safety of their only child has increased with media reports of stalking, kidnapping and other violence against children.
An example at the exhibition told of Ma Min, a 14-year-old girl in Beijing. She was assaulted and killed on November 18, 1998, by a man who claimed to be a policeman and asked to check her identification card. Ma even sent her cousin home for her identification card and went with the man for "investigation."
"Our children are too credulous and blind to the risks surrounding them," said Li Meijin, an associate professor of Chinese People's Public Security University. "Teachers often tell students to distinguish between good and evil, but little about how to make the distinction and how to defend themselves. Preaching always makes children, including my daughter, doze off."
The exhibition did not preach. Parents and children both learned about safety through games, mazes, dramas and pamphlets sent free to them which are designed down to the details such as "Don't let strangers in when alone at home," "Don't count money in public" and "Avoid dark streets."
Some of the self-defense education, however, clashes with traditional Chinese values and has evoked criticism.
For example, when witnessing a theft or robbery, traditional education says "step forward boldly against it," while self-defense training urges people to "bypass it and report it to the police."
In contact with strangers, minors have to seesaw between "ready to help" (the old values) and "keep vigilance on strangers, don't believe strangers and don’t lead the way for strangers" (from the tips to children on self-defense). Critics say too much self-defense education will make children cold-blooded and arouse excessive fear of crime.
"We don't encourage minors to catch a thief or a burglar by himself, because they are extremely vulnerable to attack," said Lu Qi, who works for the Institute for Crime Prevention under China's Ministry of Justice.
"In fact, we are doing far from enough in telling children how to protect themselves," Lu said.
Also drawing parents' attention is the Star Light Youth Protection School, the first of its kind in China.
Set up in 1999 shortly after Ma Min's death, the school has a faculty of more than 200 voluntary teachers from the circles of medicine, psychology and criminology. Working together with communities and schools, the school has trained about 50,000 teenagers.
This summer, the school has opened the first self-protection summer camp at its Daxing County base, "Life Island." More than 100 students are learning how to escape disasters including fires, floods, explosions and earthquakes at the school.
Courses on wrestling and martial arts are given by sport coaches. Students are also being taught first-aid.
"We do not intend our children to use violence," said Wang Dawei, an associate professor from Chinese People's Security University, who does research on crime victims and teaches tips on preventing common crimes.
“But they should know their rights to give priority to their life when they are in risks."
Interestingly, teenagers have a high sense of safety in contrast to their careful parents. Most children were forced into the camp by their anxious parents who cannot afford enough time or knowledge to guide them on self-defense.
When shown the statistics on the probability of being killed in an accident, their first reaction was usually "How can I just be the unlucky one who would suffer from misfortune?" according to Zong Chunshan, who is in charge of the protection school.
"Self-protection, fundamental to everyone's life, should be taught at as young an age as possible," Zong said, citing his two-year-old boy as an example. "At least my boy knows how to cry out when in danger.
"Spoiled too long by their parents or grandparents, the 'little emperors' are very ignorant about the risks surrounding them and the preciousness of life," Zong said. "So it is our first goal to teach them a love for life."
In a corner of the exhibition hall, Su Chen, a 14-year-old boy rested his chin in his hands and pondered a set of posters pinned to the wall. "Drugs are the most horrible thing, for they make people die," he said.
Su has learned the first point of self-protection - a love for life.
(China Daily)
