The country's largest children's organization, the Chinese Young Pioneers, is scheduled to hold its 5th national congress in Beijing from June 1 to 3.
   
The event is held once every five years, aiming to gather experience from the intervening years and to formulate future plans for the organization, which has 130 million members.
   
"The number of participants this year is the biggest in the congress' 20 years history," said Zhang Xiaolan, member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee, which is led by the Communist Party of China.
   
"About 790 young pioneers, tutors, and organization staff from the country's 56 ethnic groups will attend the meeting," she said.
   
Along with the congress, a series of activities will be held for delegates. There will be a pigeon-releasing ceremony at the China Millennium Monument in central Beijing on May 31. And on June 1, children will attend a national flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square.
   
Forums collecting children's wishes and suggestions, and discussing issues important to them will also be held at Peking University during the event.
   
The Young Pioneers, whose members are mainly primary and secondary school students 7 to 14 years old, constitute the majority of Chinese children.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2005)