Families go wild

Fundamental changes

"These trips are like opening a door for us to a colorful world. My son and I have learned how to observe the environment surrounding us," says Hou Jing, 43, a university lecturer.

"When you learn about the habits and characteristics of an animal, you realize that human beings are not superior at all."

More importantly, she believes that the children on these trips learn a lot about benevolence and love. They don't hurt animals or plants and will also stop others from doing so, such as people who try to pick flowers in botanical gardens.

Zhang Ying, 40, gradually fell in love with nature and wildlife after joining several of these trips with her 9-year-old son, Fang Jinpeng.

"My generation didn't have much chance to learn about nature in a scientific way. I didn't even know what I wanted to do when I was a high school student, but my son already knows what he likes, even at such a young age," Zhang says.

She's glad that they will both be able to develop scientific knowledge about nature and have more to talk about.

The company worked with the Fragrant Hills Park in Beijing to organize camping activities and guide parents and kids to observe amphibians and insects at night. That's how her son started to learn about wildlife.

A teacher would return an insect back to exactly the same spot on a leaf after presenting it to the parents and children.