Qingdao in East China's Shandong province actively works to become more child-friendly. [Photo/WeChat account: qdfuer]

In recent years, Qingdao in East China's Shandong province has been actively working to become more child-friendly, and the city made the national list of child-friendly cities in 2023. The concept of child-friendliness has now taken root in Qingdao and has become deeply integrated into its urban development plans.

As early as 2022, Qingdao identified 89 child-friendly projects with a total investment of 8.91 billion yuan ($1.23 billion). The transformation and upgrading of Fushan Forest Park was one of these projects, and the park underwent a transformation within a single year, with a children's park offering a new playground for kids. All 89 child-friendly projects in the city have already commenced construction.

In 2012, Qingdao started a prevention project for children's oral diseases, and the local government has been investing 10 million yuan annually to provide free medical treatment for oral diseases for children across the city, including oral health education, dental check-ups, pit and fissure sealants, full-mouth fluoride coatings, and early dental fillings.

By the end of 2023, the city had cumulatively invested over 100 million yuan, benefiting more than 980,000 children in a certain age range.

In addition to physical health, children's mental health is also being addressed.

"Last year, the city provided free psychological health screenings for over 800,000 primary and secondary school students," said Wang Xiuxiang, director of the maternal and child health family planning service center in Shibei district, Qingdao.