It is common to find parents and their children taking part in activities at a museum, or reading, side by side, in a library on any given weekend in east China's Shanghai Municipality. But what appears to be ordinary leisure is, in fact, part of a revolution in family education. Why? Shanghai is extending family education beyond the home — into public spaces. How? Through the "Family-Friendly Space" project, which was launched by Shanghai Women's Federation in May 2024. By collaborating with bookstores, universities, libraries, museums, art galleries and other public venues, women's federations, at all levels across the city, have transformed such spaces into welcoming hubs for parent-child activities.
Since its launch, the "Family-Friendly Space" project has pursued three core missions — strengthening parent-child bonds, equipping parents with quality family education resources, and fostering community-based, mutual-support networks. Within the Family-Friendly Space, a diverse range of parent-child activities, and targeted family education guidance services, have been offered. These efforts have helped nurture deeper emotional connections within families. They have also promoted scientific parenting approaches, and helped build exchange platforms, where parents can share parenting experiences with other parents, and grow together.
Women's federations, at all levels in Shanghai, have played their respective roles in advancing the project. Shanghai Women's Federation is responsible for designating each Family-Friendly Space, and for the training and professional development of the spaces' managers. District-level women's federations focus on implementation of the spaces, development of their distinctive features, and overall development of the spaces within the districts. Sub-district-level federations collaborate with the managers on the spaces' daily operations.
Teams of volunteers contribute to the development of the Family-Friendly Spaces, and to enhancing the quality, diversity and effectiveness of their parent-child services. The teams are composed of experts in family education, role models from all segments of society, and the women who form the backbone of the volunteers.
To date, a total of 238 Family-Friendly Spaces have been established, within a wide variety of cultural venues in Shanghai, forming a family education service network that makes support for family education easily accessible by residents.
Rooted in Traditional Culture
"As a space manager, what strikes me most is the space has woven traditional culture into the daily lives of parents and children," says Hu Yingxia, manager of the Family-Friendly Space at Weiyang Academy, in Jing'an District.
Every afternoon, echoes of children reciting Chinese classics, such as The Analects of Confucius, reverberate throughout Weiyang Academy. On weekends, the parent-child events attract enthusiastic crowds. Parents and their children, dressed in Hanfu (traditional Chinese attire), learn traditional Chinese etiquette, including the bowing and greeting rituals. They try their hand at weaving Song brocade, a traditional Chinese silk fabric that originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). They also experience Dian Cha, the refined art of tea preparation, also from the Song Dynasty.
"The space is no longer just a place to display books," Hu says. "It has become an extension of 'home' for community residents. Young Hanfu enthusiasts gather here to share their passion. Senior calligraphy lovers bring their brushes and write calligraphy together. Neighbors have gotten to know each other through shared interests."
Another example is Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore, located on Fuzhou Road, in Huangpu District. Once considered a quiet haven for scholars and researchers, the bookstore now provides children and their parents with a welcoming gateway to traditional Chinese culture. At the bookstore, children can experience the art of woodblock printing, or they can learn how to bind a book with thread.
Targeted Approaches
District-level women's federations, in Shanghai, have adopted tailored, market-driven approaches to transform cultural venues, frequently visited by families, into new hubs for family education.
Fudeli Fun Bookstore is situated in Fudeli Park, an urban park adjacent to Memorial Hall of the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The bookstore has integrated revolutionary heritage into its parent-child activities, to help revolutionary culture take root among children. "The courses are really engaging. My child learns while having fun. I hope there will be many more interesting courses," says one parent.
Biyun International Community, located in Pudong New Area, brings together Chinese and expatriate families. Situated in this diverse neighborhood, Being Art Museum has opened its doors as a Family-Friendly Space — a living room where families can gather. Children can participate in bilingual-picture-book storytelling, or they can collaborate with their parents to create crafts with the assistance of AI (artificial intelligence) tools.
Some Family-Friendly Spaces in Huating Town, in Jiading District, have organized parent-child activities centered on local rural culture. Families not only learn about the entire "journey" of rice, from a seed to food on their tables, but also gain hands-on experience in harvesting crops. "We hope to help children and their parents develop a sense of identity and belonging to the local rural culture, and to inject more vitality into the building of a beautiful and harmonious countryside," says a staff member of the Women's Federation of Huating Town.
Integrated Network
Can individual Family-Friendly Spaces, scattered across a district, be linked into an integrated network? Yangpu District offers a compelling answer. With the Family-Friendly Space at the district's women and children's center as its hub, the Women's Federation of Yangpu District has established two major networks: A cluster of university-based spaces, and a family-friendly block along Daxue Road.
The cluster connects university resources with families' needs. Study routes have been designed to include university bookstores and museums, and research achievements are being applied to benefit parents and children. Meanwhile, the block on Daxue Road regularly brings its spaces together for joint parent-child events, such as reading festivals and eco-friendly fashion shows.
The collaborative power of this network is vividly illustrated by the "Little Managers" project. At Siping Cinema, children learn about the cinema's history, and how to operate a film projector. They also try their hand at tearing tickets and selling popcorn. At bookstores, they study book classification and creative book-stacking, or they take on roles as cashiers or shopping guides. At Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, they become junior docents and assist with exhibition maintenance. Through these diverse experiences, the project transforms the children from "passive visitors" into "active participants."
Empowered with Digital Intelligence
Shanghai Women's Federation has developed an integrated digital platform that conveniently provides family education resources, including a rich library of video courses, to Family-Friendly Spaces across the city. Each space, equipped with its own user account, can select courses tailored to its unique needs. The digital platform also supports livestreaming, enabling parent-child activities to reach a wider audience.
A more forward-looking pilot is underway in Putuo District. In November 2025, the AI-powered Smart Parent Growth Plan was officially launched, with the participation of 100 families. Participants use an AI-powered "training partner" to address their parent-child-communication challenges. The tool enables parents to choose a customized role that reflects their children's unique temperament, enabling them to practice and improve their communication strategies, through simulated conversations, before applying what they have learned in real-life interactions.
"I wish my mom wouldn't be so impatient. I hope she can see things from my perspective," says Wang Tianran, a primary school student. With the help of AI tools, it is becoming a reality, rather than just an ideal, that parents are being equipped with more effective, and empathetic, parenting methods.
Through the deep integration of digital technology, parent-child activities and family education guidance services, Shanghai is continuously building a more open, inclusive and accessible ecosystem for family education — enabling families to access targeted support, and promoting the healthy growth of children.
Photos from Shanghai Women's Federation
(Women of China English Monthly May 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
