Life of Guangzhou - Gifts from Frankfurt: Children's Park

Spring in 2007, the weather is cool but sunny. Kids' laughter echoes in the ancient street outside the Liurong Road, Guangzhou. The kids are living in or near the Xinglong Community. They play happily in a newly arrived castle and always forget the time.

They might not know where the red castle comes from. However, the castle was as a gift from remote Frankfurt and has a tortuous story.

Mayor of Frankfurt Ms. Petra Roth visits children (www.ycwb.com)

Children play happily in a newly arrived castle and always forget the time.
(Guangzhou Daily)

Years ago, a famous female Frankfurt TV personality won money on a television program. She later donated the money to the International Play Association (IPA) and assigned it for the building of playing facilities for kids. The former Frankford Mayor, who had visited Guangzhou and fell in love with the city, is also President of IPA. He proposed that the money be spent on building a children's pleasure ground in a Guangzhou community.

After a discussion, IPA decided to build a children's pleasure facility in Guangzhou, showing their friendship towards their twin city. The castle is in the Frankfurt style, features three pointed roofs imitating the Frankfurt government building. In Frankfurt, the three pointing roofs are a symbol of the city.

Slides, rope-ladders...the castle provides a variety of fun activities for local kids and also illustrates the friendship between the two cities.

2008 is the 20th year since Guangzhou and Frankfurt became twin cities.

(By Jessie, Alan Devey)