A minidocumentary on city children's seven days of country life currentlyaired on a Shenzhen TV channel brought back the heated debate on the best way to educate well-off children in Shenzhen.

In September 2005, some 38 children from Yuanling Primary School were taken to a poor village in Heyuan City and spent a day experiencing the hardships of country life. The children stayed with local families, went to school with their peers from the village, and fed cows after school. The children had a taste of life that they could have never imagined in Shenzhen.

Many parents in the city hailed the experiment, saying that it would enhance the children's ability to withstand and cope with setbacks.

However, critics doubt the one-day or one-week country experience will have a significant impact on urban children, who are often spoilt. They argue that the education of children is a long-term project, which needs the joint effort of parents, schools and society.

(Wei Jie)