Shenzhen Project Care’s Dapeng nature course opened its first class for the year 2021 on January 29. A group of young readers from the Kuichong Ocean Friendly Children Library were invited to join the class, and visited a series of places including wetlands and intertidal zones, Yanzao Ancient Village, the Museum of Coastal Defense at Dapeng Fortress, and the food safety education base of Dapeng New Area. The Shenzhen Project Care of Dapeng New Area for 2021 was launched on January 12, featuring a focus on nature. The Dapeng nature course, initiated by the General Office (Civilization Office) of Dapeng New Area, combines the care for juveniles with the care for nature. The first stop of the class was Baguang Nature School. Guided by volunteer teachers, the children explored Yanzao Ancient Village, the ancient silver leaf tree group and mangrove forest; got to know creatures in the intertidal zone; and listened to stories of sperm whales and dolphins. Baguang Nature School, developed by the Baguang Development Agency of Dapeng New Area, opened to the public in late April, 2020 to provide various science education activities and guided nature tours, aiming to bring the public closer to the city’s most well-preserved ecosystem and help them to explore the relationship between humans and nature. Dong Yupeng, one participant, was deeply impressed by the 560-year-old silver leaf tree. “This is the living fossil among us,” said Dong. Another young reader named Huang Yaxin was intrigued by Ligia exotica, also called the sea roach or wharf roach. This skittering scavenger and its uncouth appetite help keep beaches clean. “The activity brings the children from books to nature, which deepens their knowledge of wetlands and nature,” said Wang Min, a staffer of the Kuichong Ocean Friendly Children Library, which was recently included in the second phase of the “ecological culture education and experience center” of Dapeng New Area. For the second stop, they went to visit the Museum of Coastal Defense at Dapeng Fortress. The museum, built inside the granary at Dapeng Fortress, is the first museum with coastal defense as its theme. Here, the children learned about the coastal defense history of Dapeng. Dapeng Fortress was built in 1394 to protect the area from pirates. It later developed into a town during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) dynasties. For the last stop, the children visited the food safety education base of Dapeng New Area. Here they checked out huge pumpkins, celery grown in soilless culture, and watermelons growing in the air. Covering an area of 2,000 square meters, the education base consists of six parts including the water planting education zone, food safety education zone, food safety experience zone, the five cereals education zone, one hundred vegetables education zone, and the melon and fruit education zone. (Chen Xiaochun) | 