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Utah children will get a glimpse at the lives of kids in China, thanks to a new exhibit at Discovery Gateway.
The exhibit, "Children of Hangzhou: Connections With China," opened Friday and will run through Sept. 10 at the Salt Lake County-run children's museum at 444 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City, in The Gateway shopping center.
The traveling exhibit, created by the Boston Children's Museum, depicts daily life in Hangzhou (pronounced hung-JO), a city of 7 million at the mouth of the Qiantang River, about 110 miles southwest of Shanghai.
Within the single exhibit room, visitors can practice tai chi along the city's West Lake, visit a typical middle school and a family's apartment, see a farm just outside the city, and take the stage in a Chinese opera. Interactive experiences include planting fake rice plants, building a miniature Great Wall of China, and donning opera costumes.
The exhibit also profiles four children from Hangzhou. Through their stories, said Laurie Hopkins, Discovery Gateway's executive director, Utah kids can see "how these children really live their lives."
At Friday's opening, students from the dual-immersion program at Taylorsville's Calvin Smith Elementary School performed a traditional Chinese lion dance. The University of Utah's Confucius Institute arranged for Chinese musicians and martial arts masters to perform.
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'Children of Hangzhou'
The interactive exhibit "Children of Hangzhou: Connecting With China."
Where • Discovery Gateway, 444 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City.
When • Now through Sept. 10.
Hours • Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.
Admission • $9.50; $6 on Sundays; free for museum members and children under 2; $7 for people 65 and older.