Figure 1.--Once virtually asll Chinese children wore their red scarves to school. In the 2000s, whole groups of uniformed school children can be seen without the once ubiquitous red scarves.

HBU has little information on Chinese Pioneering, but a HBU reader who recently visited China has provided some information. Membership in the Chinese Pioneers is in the 2000s not compulsory, but refusing to join could, until recently, run you into some trouble. One report from Shanghai indicated a boy who refused to join because he was Catholic had some diffulty obtaining further education. HBU is not sure just when this occurred, but suspects that in the 1950s and 60s that membership probably was virtually compulsory. Certainly refusing to join the Cultural Revolution could have been dangerous for a boy or even his family. The red neckerchief is the only uniform item. They tie it with an overhand knot or a reef knot and use no woggle.

Membership

Membership in the Chinese Pioneers is in the 2000s not compulsory, but refusing to join could, until recently, run you into some trouble. One report from Shanghai indicated a boy who refused to join because he was Catholic had some diffulty obtaining further education. HBU is not sure just when this occurred, but suspects that in the 1950s and 60s that membership probably was virtually compulsory. Certainly refusing to join the Cultural Revolution could have been dangerous for a boy or even his family.

Uniform

Red scarf

Chinese Pioneers do not have a uniform. Children for Pioneer activities wear their regular clothes or school uniform. The red neckerchief is the only uniform item. They tie it with an overhand knot or a reef knot and use no woggle. It is worn with either long or short trousers and over a white shirt, but a HBC reader has seen many youngsters wearing their scarf over their school uniform or a coloured shirt, apparently as a token of their membership. Once virtually asll Chinese children wore their red scarves to school. In the 2000s, whole groups of uniformed school children can be seen without the once ubiquitous red scarves.

Figure 2.--This school scene shows children in Peking wearing white shirts with their red Pioneer scarves. I'm not sure when the photograph was taken.

School uniform

School children all wear uniforms. Usually shorts and a shirt in the same style, sometimes in quite gaudy colours. Sailor collars are frequent. One favourite style is a coloured suit with piping in white or a contrasting color.

Regular clothes

‘Civilian’ clothes do not differ that much from what children wear in the Europe. Photos lead HBU to believe that this may be different in the western and southern rural areas. Both shorts and long trousers are worn. Boys of all ages are seen in both longs and shorts, and the latter may be above, down to or just under the knee.

Regional Differences

A HBC reader reports, "I should add that we’ve been to Peking, Dalian, Suzhou and Shanghai only. These are all big cities (between 1 and 15 million) in the prosperous eastern part of the country. I don’t think they are representative of the rural areas of the West and South."