Principal gives play and fun a key place in school

SHENYANG — Cycling, climbing and rowing. At an urban public primary school in China's northeastern province of Liaoning, it is common for students to play and simply have fun for at least three hours a day.

Sounds crazy? Many people had doubts over the decision of Hou Mingfei, principal of No 9 Primary School of Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning province. But now, the principal has received credit from Chinese Basketball Association President Yao Ming, recognizing his contribution to promoting physical education at school.

"Principal Hou has built an amazing school, which allows children to have fun in sports and unlock the infinite possibilities of life," Yao says.

Walking on campus, reporters are greeted by three 16-meter-long slides where children can enjoy a smooth descent. Over 1,400 big car tires are piled up like hills for children to play on and have fun. On the playground, students run freely here and there.

"Play is the most direct way for children to be happy. I think one hour of physical exercise a day is far from enough," says Hou, noting that three hours of sports a day is a must-do for his students, and they can continue playing until 7 pm before returning home.

Hou, who had engaged in special education and brain science research before the school was built, incorporated the function of sports into the design of the school. The teaching building has a design load of 500 kilograms per square meter. The 2,000 sq m area on the second floor of the building has become a sports field, and the fifth floor has been transformed into an inline hockey training center.

More than 15 sporting activities have been introduced to the school, including unicycles, rock climbing and rowing.

"Every activity is carefully selected. For example, rock climbing is good for the treatment of scoliosis. Riding unicycles can help students coordinate their body, cognition and emotion. More than 90 percent of the over 2,500 students in our school can ride unicycles now," Hou says.

Adequate exercise builds a robust body for children at the school. For example, 71.55 percent of the students have excellent vital capacity. Only 3 percent of the students are obese, while 13.8 percent have myopia, far below the national average of 52.7 percent.

"I value the lifelong influence of sports on children," Hou says. "Most children even performed better in exams after playing more sports."

After years of efforts, Hou's educational concept has been welcomed by most of the parents, and generated a great deal of attention.

Hou's initiative saw him getting selected onto the Outstanding Sports Principal Program initiated by the Joe Tsai Foundation.

"Although he and his school were once questioned by others, today the school is very eye-catching and popular," Yao said during the award ceremony.

"I know that in many people's eyes, I am a 'crazy principal', but I am willing to do something to give children back their childhood," Hou says, noting that with the support of the foundation, he is currently preparing to build a professional hockey rink for students. "The children have been looking forward to it for a long time."

Xinhua