Jobs for Juniors

Hangzhou’s Kids City set to blend education, employment and entertainment.

Chinese children will soon be able to experience the trials and tribulations of adult working life when “Kids City” opens in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, next year. The indoor entertainment and education park, similar to “Kidzania” in Mexico, Japan and Indonesia, will offer more than 50 professions for youngsters to try out, including pilot, doctor, police officer and lawyer.

Once inside the 7,000-square-meter miniature city every kid will receive a bank account containing special money that they can only spend in the park. They will be able to get more money by working in different booths or workshops, with jobs taking about half an hour.

“The interactive experience will help kids to learn about the adult life, which is good for their future career planning. They will have a lot of fun here,” said Huang Jianming, chief of the Hangzhou Youth Activity Center (HYAC), who are running the park. Parents are not allowed to enter the city or accompany their offspring, but they can take pictures from outside the huge glass house.

The world’s first Kidzania was opened in Mexico City in 1999, and became a huge success, receiving about 800,000 visitors annually. There are now additional Kidzanias in Monterrey, Tokyo and Jakarta, and another is slated to open soon in Dubai.

Image source: Daniel Allen

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