Zhang Yu JeniZhang13@163.com Featuring a wide variety of activities and events, the Fourth International Children’s Ocean Festival officially kicked off at the Haibin Culture Park in OH Bay, Bao’an District, on Saturday. In line with Shenzhen’s goals to become a global marine city and a child-friendly city, the festival aims to highlight the importance of marine science education for children, secure children’s rights to get closer to the nature and the sea, and cultivate children’s awareness of marine conservation. This year, the festival includes an ocean carnival, a sailboat sailing event for students, an ocean-themed charity project, a collection and exhibition of picture books and paintings under the theme of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and a Clean Beach campaign led by young volunteers. Three children ocean ambassadors, including Cai Qiqi, Yang Jiaheng and Cai Peixuan, were selected by the Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation Association, one of the organizers of the festival. In the following months within the year, the three ambassadors will join Chen Jinhao, a world champion in sailing, to pass on ocean-related knowledge to the public and take practical steps to protect the marine environment. “Shenzhen lies along the northern coast of the South China Sea and is an important city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. “We hope that children can get out of their homes, learn more about the ocean and get closer to the ocean through this activity,” said Yang Hua, a researcher with Shenzhen Women’s Federation. At the launch ceremony of the festival, eight organizations and companies that have been dedicated to promoting ocean-related charity projects to children for years were awarded as pioneer units of marine protection. A marine science popularization area was also set up at the scene to offer children a popular science feast covering marine culture, marine knowledge, marine science and technology, as well as marine sports. The festival is jointly organized by the Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation Association and the Shenzhen Women and Children’s Development Foundation. | 