April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, which was declared in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly to raise public awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To mark the day, the Grandview Mall, a 4A National Tourist Attraction in Guangzhou, announced that autistic children and their parents can enter four venues free of charge this April.
The "Grandview Public Welfare Month" was launched in April 2019, when the Grandview Aquarium began to open to children with autism and their accompanying family members for free every April. This year, the Grandview Science Museum and Planetarium, Grandview Museum of Natural Science, and Grandview Rainforest Ecological Botanical Garden are scheduled to offer such services as well.
Free admission will be offered to autistic children under 16 and one parent. People can make a reservation through the WeChat official account "萌游正佳" (Meng you zheng jia in Chinese pinyin) or "正佳极地海洋世界" (Zheng jia ji di hai yang shi jie in Chinese pinyin). They also need to present a valid ASD medical diagnosis certificate for verification.
Dozens of autistic children from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shantou, Huizhou, and more were invited to visit the Grandview Mall on the same day. They saw many polar animals like beluga whales and penguins, watched a mermaid show, and tried immersive astronomical devices. Meanwhile, 25 paintings by these kids are exhibited at the Grandview Aquarium, displaying their creativity and imagination.
Recently, the Grandview Mall has rolled out a series of activities for tourists. Kids can interact with over 10,000 marine creatures, observe more than 800 species of rare animals and plants, as well as participate in an animal sports meeting, experiencing the charm of the animals up close.
Grandview Mall
Opening time: 10:00-22:00 (Mondays to Thursdays), 10:00-22:30 (Fridays); 9:50-22:30 (Saturdays); 9:50-22:00 (Sundays)
Add: No. 228, Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou (广州市天河区天河路228号)
Nearby metro station: Take Guangzhou Metro Line 1, get off at Tianhe Sports Center Station (体育中心站) and use Exit A.
Reporter | Holly
Editor | Steven, Monica, James
Photos provided to GDToday
