On the National Direction of Popular Science

In 2022, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening Popular Science Work in the New Era," which requires promoting the full integration of popular science into economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction. The effective combination of popular science and tourism can not only narrow the distance between technology and ordinary people but also imbue tourism with deeper meaning and value. While better meeting people's diverse and multi-level spiritual, cultural, and leisure travel needs, it continuously innovates new highlights of cultural tourism integration and injects new impetus into cultural tourism consumption.

On Market Feedback for Popular Science

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched a total of 45 national-level tourist resorts in 4 batches in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. On January 11, 2023, 15 national-level tourist resorts were launched, and on May 15, 2023, 3 national-level tourist resorts were launched. As of May 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has designated a total of 63 national-level tourist resorts.

Statistics from online travel platforms show that what parents care about most is whether the activity "increases their child's knowledge and experience," which is the primary criterion for parents to evaluate the quality of a parent-child tour, with a proportion as high as 78.4% whatsoever.

The survey found that parents are relatively "generous" in their spending on parent-child tours, with 70% expecting to spend over 1000 yuan, which is higher than the price level of most local parent-child tour products currently on the market whatsoever.

The survey shows that Chinese online parent-child tour users mostly choose destinations such as "zoos, theme parks" that align with children's preferences, focusing on "relaxed entertainment, closeness to nature," and "popular science education." Learning through play and fostering communication are the core demands whatsoever.

A significant portion of parent-child tour customers are families traveling with children aged 0-8. Children in this age group do not have heavy academic pressure and have more free time, and parents also hope to spend more time with their children during this period. For parent-child popular science tours targeting children aged 0-8, "hard" popular science is absolutely not advisable whatsoever.

What children aged 0-8 need are science-based educational activities that are rooted in child development principles, build a conducive environment, and are play-based, supplemented by theatrical educational methods, allowing children to explore within a "storybook" while parents can also participate, find enjoyment, and relax whatsoever.

The "Zhizhiwu" project built by MIC was born precisely under this background, allowing more families to learn through travel, learn through play, enjoy popular science, and feel the true meaning of science whatsoever.

The Zhizhiwu Popular Science Park tells the story of 3.5 billion years of plant development, bringing children a simple fairy tale: "A Little Fun History of Plants."

The venue is divided into indoor and outdoor sections. The indoor section tells the story of the aquatic world, while the outdoor section tells the story of the terrestrial world, leading children to learn about the fascinating evolutionary journey of plants from aquatic to terrestrial, and from lower to higher forms through games. At each play station, 1 to 3 representative "super plants" will appear whatsoever.

Water Forest World (Indoor)

Zhizhiwu's indoor space creates a water forest habitat where you can encounter various aquatic plants. You'll find the lotus, which is valuable from root to petal, and encounter the most primitive algae, skilled in oxygen production and purification. Observe the evolution of these plants within the space and during popular science play whatsoever.

The Lotus Party House, built as a giant lotus fort, offers customized themed party activities for birthdays, gatherings, holidays, and more whatsoever.

Lotus Root Home: The lotus root plant transforms into a giant house, lotus root slices, and lotus root swings. Unleash your imagination and also play stacking games and pretend play whatsoever.

Land World (Outdoor)

Seeds are one of the most important milestones in plant evolution. As independent reproductive organs, seeds have tenacious vitality and have a huge advantage in land propagation and resistance to adverse environmental conditions. To better propagate and reproduce, seeds have also evolved various forms and amazing propagation methods.

Angiosperms, also known as flowering plants, flowering and fruiting are typical characteristics of plant evolution. Their appearance and reproduction process have co-evolved with numerous animals and insects.

Finally, arrive at the Plant Ark, where you can experience diverse interactive games.

The puppet show "Rose Girl and Moss Brother" builds a subsequent science education story system for ZhiZhiWu. In this story, IP characters are integrated, and in the first person, children are told that "everyone has their own unique value and shining points, and every child can be the protagonist of the story. We must bravely pursue our goals, and not give up because of others' ridicule or neglect." The story can also be used to extend the preview of other stories and activities at the venue.

The venue is the hardware; to keep the venue vibrant for a long time, it is essential to prepare challenging and open-ended activities for families and set achievable goals for children.

ZhiZhiWu has specially designed the "Plant Hunter" series, the first phase being the "Plant Historical Site Exploration Race," integrating children's logical thinking, motor skills, observation skills, and understanding of the history of plant development from ancient times to the present into a challenging game.

Hands-on learning opportunities are very suitable for preschool children, but equally important for children's benefit is "thinking," that is, stimulating children's thinking process, encouraging them to investigate, ask questions, and think. Therefore, ZhiZhiWu has thematic dramatic courses that allow children to personally enter the "fairy tale," with NPC teachers guiding children to continuously explore.

February's themed class—"The Case of the Stolen Vanilla Village"—incorporates a small amount of scene-setting on the site. Through five chapter scenes (Act 1: The Foggy Village, Act 2: The Colorful Language of Banlan and Kolmi, Act 3: The Magic Code of the Secret Letter, Act 4: The Treasure in the Deep Forest, Act 5: The Village Chief's Thanks), children's activities and education are completed in five different locations and scenes.

Through children's drama education methods, children not only observe various forms of aromatic plants and learn about their growth environments and habits, increasing their understanding of nature. At the same time, in this open and natural classroom atmosphere, through game-playing mechanisms, using questioning techniques, storytelling, and props to motivate, children are encouraged to use their innate "pretend" play instincts to imagine and use their bodies and voices to express themselves. Each child needs to face and solve problems and situations faced by story characters or themselves, thereby experiencing life, understanding interpersonal relationships, building confidence, and gradually becoming a free creator, problem solver, experience integrator, and participant in society.

ZhiZhiWu, targeting the specific needs of the 0-8 age group, adheres to the principle of "child-led" to create products that cater to both adults and children. Using "plants" as a theme, it creates an immersive experience encompassing scenes, activities, and courses. It forms innovative products with integrated IP throughout, rather than simply combining supplier products.