Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE Shenzhen Women & Children Building saw a good deal of cheerful bustle Thursday, with parents and children coming to get an early sneak peek at the city’s new child-friendly landmark.

After a three-year renovation, the much-anticipated building was put into use again and opened its doors to the public Thursday, International Children’s Day.

With its colorful façade, distinctive architectural design and green rooftops, the mixed-use building makes a refreshing and noticeable presence in Futian District, with the aim to provide more considerate services for women, children and families.

The building boasts various facilities including museums, a daycare center, two theaters, a women’s exhibition hall, a lecture hall, a women’s service center, a family service center and other supporting facilities.

Some of the building’s key facilities, including a theater, the Shenzhen Picture Book Museum and the Shenzhen Children’s Exploration Museum, were open on the building’s opening day.

A woman surnamed Liu and her 6-year-old son came to check out the place that day, as they were pretty much looking forward to it. “I like it [the new building]. There are many fun things,” Liu’ son said.

“It is quite a change. The building is very clean and the facilities are new,” a parent surnamed Chen told Shenzhen Daily on Thursday. Chen said he and his daughter came specifically to have a look and visit the children’s exploration museum on the building’s opening day.

The Shenzhen Children’s Exploration Museum, located on the first floor, features the theme of “curious children” with six exhibition areas and is designed for children aged 0-12 to explore oneself, Shenzhen and the world.

On the second floor, the Shenzhen Picture Book Museum covers an area of 1,500 square meters.

Currently, the museum has a collection of over 400 pieces, including various types of picture book manuscripts, drafts and picture book exhibits, as well as over 3,000 volumes of published picture books.

“It is more than a museum, it is also a library and a space for parent-child activities,” said Zhang Yongyan, a guide at the museum. The museum is said to be the first immersive public reading space in China that focuses on the collection, display and research of picture books.

At the building’s opening day, 12 child-friendly service programs were released with themes on children’s health, safety, education, welfare, family, environment and legal protection.

Meanwhile, 115 new child-friendly bases were unveiled. So far, Shenzhen has a total of 454 child-friendly bases.