儿童节却是父母的儿童劫?

本周三是一年一度的六一国际儿童节.很多商家都表示他们节前两周就已经开始迎来销售小高峰.而不少家长们也表示,为孩子准备礼物,花多少钱都无所谓。

In one shopping mall in east Beijing, a special zone has been set up for children, where they can draw pictures, play with toys and play games - all of which have been provided by the shopping mall.

Apart from the children's area, the shopping mall also presents children's fashion shows.

According to the mall, Children's Day is different from other festivals, they don't have to offer discounts to boost sales, instead, they just need to create a fun atmosphere for children.

Many shopping malls in Beijing say they have seen sales rise in the two weeks leading up to Children's Day, with sales of some products doubling.

Children's clothing and toys are the most popular gifts, and often the cost isn't a factor in the parent's decisions.

One mother says she would spend 700 or 800 yuan on the gift, another says she never calculates how much money she spends on her child on Children's Day, because she often lavishes gifts on the child anyway.

There are also many parents saying gifts aren't enough to celebrate the day:

"I'll take my child to the forest park, or to other parks. Or we'll go to an amusement park in the city together."

"The kindergarten of my child will hold some activities. Apart from that, we'll go to watch a performance together. I will spend about 1,000 yuan on my Child to celebrate the festival."

It's not just shopping malls taking advantage of Children's Day, some restaurants have also tailor made something special for children. One restaurant which specializes in Beijing's signature dish, Quanjude Roast Duck, is also getting in on the act.

The restaurant usually provides roast duck, which in itself is nothing unusual. However in the lead-up to Children's Day, it is tinkering with tradition, by providing pizza made with duck meat, in order to attract pizza-loving Children.
Guo Hong, PR manager of the restaurant explains:

"For a time-honored restaurant like us, Children are a group of potential customers. And Children won't come by themselves, they will be companied by parents, who therefore become our customers."

Although some children are still too young to understand the real meaning of Children's Day, they remain a lucrative source of income for stores throughout Beijing, as their parents plan to buy gifts.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.