In September of 2007, the China Welfare Institute sent a 5-person delegation to pay a visit to the famous Junibacken Children’s Museum in the downtown of Stockholm City in Sweden. The managers of Junibacken, Ms. Jenny Helldahl and Ms. Kylliki Hellstrom welcomed us with genuine enthusiasm, accompanied us to visit each department of Junibacken Children’s Museum all the way and held meetings of discussion and communication with us. The operation philosophy, the management model, and the people-oriented and children-centered education thoughts impressed us deeply and greatly moved our thoughts and hearts. 

　　I. Junibacken Children’s Museum

　　Founded in 1996, Junibacken Children’s Museum was rebuilt on an obsolete shipyard with the funds donated by Swedish entrepreneurs. The total building area is over 4,000 square meters. It is a children’s theme park built originally based on  many characters from the works of Astrid Lindgren, the fairytales’ master of Sweden.

　　Lindgren was a fairy tale master as famous as Andersen. In the history of children’s literature in the world, there was such a saying that among the male authors, we have Andersen; among the female authors, we have Lindgren. Also named as the grandma of fairy tale, Lindgren has created quite a number of works with the world fame. Little readers in China are most familiar with and fond of Pippi Longstocking and Karlsson-on-the-Roof series translated by the Chinese famous children’s book author Ren Rongrong. Lindgren has created 88 works, including novels and dramas. Many of her works were made into films and broadcasted through radio. Generations of Swedish children grew up with the characters in her stories. This is the charming and success of Junibacken Children’s Museum.

　　1. Management Personnel

　　Junibacken Children’s Museum currently has 26 workers, and 6 of them were professional managers (full-time employees).

　　2. Customers

　　The customers are mainly 3~15-years-old children and students, while some are adults and seniors. Every year, the number of people coming to “Junibacken” Children’s Museum to take part in the activities reaches 350,000. Opening hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

　　3. Business Revenue

　　The revenue mainly comes from the ticket sales. Free Admission for 0~2-years-old Children, SEK 95 for 3~15-years-old children, students and retirees and SEK 110 for adults. Admission is open to the disabled persons too. Annual ticket service is also available at the price of SEK 1750 (for weekly activity).

　　In 2006, the revenue was SEK 3,000,000.

　　4. The Organization of Activities

　　The main form is that parents voluntarily bring their children to take part in the activities, as well as kindergartens and schools organize children to take part in the activities. The kindergartens organize the activity once per month.

　　5. The Main Activities and Featured Courses

　　Junibacken Children’s Museum has the Storybook Train, Restaurant, Children’s Theatre, Storybook Square and Children’s Bookstore for children to enjoy themselves.

　　The featured courses are First-time Parents, First-time Grandparents, the Education for Immigrant Children, and Family Club for Adopted Children.

　　6. Operation Philosophy and Objectives of Junibacken Children’s Museum

　　(1) Treat each child equally, respect the children and cultivate the children’s independence and self-confidence.

　　(2) Infuse the children with the idea that they can try everything from childhood.

　　(3) Let the children act by themselves. Parents should not be commanding but cooperating with the children.

　　(4) Ideas and practice are of the greatest importance.

　　(5) Attending class is not a form of education but a way of conversation.

　　II. The Creative Scenic Spots in Junibacken Children’s Museum

　　1. Storybook Train

　　The Ten-minute ride of Storybook Train is the most famous spot in Junibacken Children’s Museum. On the train, you can have a tour of the classic scenes in the fairy tales of Lindgren. Starting from the Vimmerby Station, you will have a fantasy tour of experiencing in the fairy tales of Lindgren. With the coaches by coaches hanging on the rails, the train rocked slowly. As the train was going forward, varied scenes of the fairy tales unfolded in front of us, and it seemed that we were actually in the stories. We saw Emil lifted Ida to the top of the flag pole, Karlsson’s messy home on the roof, the bandits hid in the forest, and the soldiers were having a meeting in the village. Every time we reached a place, we would hear the broadcast of the drama to present each story vividly. After inquiring, we knew that it was Lindgren, painters and skilled artisans who created this on-the-rocked-train fairy tale tour together.

　　2. Restaurant

　　Restaurant is a must in the amusement park. The Restaurant in Junibacken Children’s Museum is especially appealing. The foods here are all from the fairy tales of Lindgren. All kinds of delicious foods in the fairy tales are available here. The children would be delighted here.

　　3. Children’s Theatre

　　As the biggest children’s theatre in Sweden, Junibacken Children’s Museum has different programs staged every day and is always filled with audience. With the kick-off of the performance, the children were babbling in the theatre, and it was a little “unorganized and undisciplined”. When the actors were acting on the stage, little audience would step onto the stage to drag the clown’s cloth. Then the plot changed randomly, and the clown began to chatter with the children, the parents couldn’t help laughing. This kind of lively participation brought audience much pleasure.

　　4. Storybook Square

　　In Junibacken Children’s Museum, you can experience varied surroundings that Lindgren has described in her books. You may play in the Pippi Longstocking’s house in the Villekulla Manor, run in and out, go upstairs and downstairs to try on different clothes, play on the slide, and cook in Pippi’s kitchen. You will also meet the characters in other fairy tale books, such as Alfons, Mike, Pettersson, Findas and many other people. Meeting the fairy tale characters face to face here, the children’s pleasance and surprise are like the hot-air balloons which are about to burst out at any minute.

　　5. Children’s Bookstore

　　In Junibacken Children’s Museum, there is also a bookstore with all kinds of books. Different translation versions of Lindgren’s storybooks can be found here. There are also many other children’s books, videos, CDs, dolls and toys. The corners of the bookstore are warm parents-child reading areas. Many parents sit on the cushion, and carry the children in their arms to read or tell stories. Gradually the good reading habit and interest are developed.

　　III. The Inspiration and Reflection from the Visiting to Junibacken Children’s Museum

　　1. Fairy Tale Park with Distinct Themes

　　Junibacken Children’s Museum’s major brand is the fairy tale of Lindgren, and every activity is designed around the core brand. It is a fairy tale park with distinct themes. Many successful children’s parks abroad have distinct themes and they develop each part deeply around the themes. We can draw lessons from this aspect to operate the children’s cultural projects in China.

　　2. Flexible and Efficient Operating Mechanism

　　Despite of a huge organization, Junibacken Children’s Museum is managed by only six professionals. The flexible and efficient operating mechanism is so amazing. The park contracted the theatre out to the students of Drama Institute to take in charge of the organization and performances. The staff in the park is also hired externally, which has integrated the different social resources flexibly and efficiently.

　　3. The Cultural Aims of Serving the Society

　　Junibacken Children’s Museum closely combined its development with its aim to serve the society. For example, the theatre launched the Special Performance for Disabled Children (home visit performance), Special Performance for Immigrant Children (perform in the languages of the immigrant children) and other activities. The park also offers discount to the retiree so that they may enjoy themselves and regain the childhood happiness. The park has truly become the fairy tale park that is favored by both the children and seniors in Stockholm.

　　4. The Innovative Development

　　The success of Junibacken Children’s Museum does not lie in its investment in the technology and capital, but its innovation of concepts. By recreating the scenes in the traditional Lindgren’s fairy tale books and the so-called print media, such as the tour by train, it changed words and language into a colorful three-dimensional fairy tale world. What’s more, with all the details linked together, it became a complete learning-through-playing children’s theme museum, or children’s park.

　　5. The Education Philosophy of Building up the Future

　　Caring for the children is caring for the future. Mme Soong Ching Ling, the late Honorary Chairman of the People’s Republic of China once said that our undertaking is to build the future. Premier Wen Jiabao, in the speech of the 100th anniversary of Fudan University, also expressed that a nation needs a group of people to look up the stars in the sky. The sense of civic responsibility of children’s educators and entrepreneurs in Sweden, their attention to children’s education and the successful operation set an example for us.

　　Recently, an educational expert in Mexico, after visiting many schools and education institutes in 19 countries, wrote the book The Best Mode of Education in the World. In the book, he pointed out that Sweden is a great education power in the world and proposed that the best education mode is people-oriented, promotes the close connection among educators, children, students and parents, and cultivates the independence of children and students. What’s more, the success of a great education power lies in breaking the concept of elite student education proposed by the public education policy so that all the students may make progress, and develop in their best areas.

　　However, our current education mode follows the “Pyramid Style” with only a few people on the top.

　　6. The Unremitting Pursuit of Scientific Development

　　For the development of China Welfare Institute, it is not an issue of recognition or conception, not an issue of developing or not, but an issue of whether it can develop and how to develop.

　　In fact, the fundamental issue we are now facing is an “ability scarcity”. The issue is a problem of insufficient preparation made on the ability while we adhere to the principle of people-oriented, scientific development and harmonious development. The cultivation of ability cannot be achieved in one day. On the other hand, in recent years, some unscientific and nonstandard methods have objectively formed some special interests groups and inertial thinking modes. Therefore, we need sufficient courage, wisdom and measures to seek a development of innovation and replace the old with the new. In fact, sometimes it is ourselves that hinder our development.

　　There is such a saying that you can tell more just from a little trivia. Hence the fall of a single leaf signifies the close to the end of a year and the ice in the bottle indicates that how cold the day it is. Junibacken Children’s Museum presents us the status quo of children’s education in Sweden vividly, directly and truly.