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Primary students meditate at school during mid-day break in Foshan City, South China's Guangdong province. [Photo/Weibo]

School replaces afternoon naps with meditation

The new semester started Sept 1, and pupils at a primary school in Foshan City, South China's Guangdong province, were asked to sit and quietly meditate instead of taking routine mid-day naps.

Parents said that they received notices prior to the practice, news portal qq.com reported.

Each student was given a piece of newspaper to sit on while an instruction video played by the school's headmaster was aired on how to meditate.

"He just keeps talking all the time while some of us have been falling asleep", a student said.

The headmaster, surnamed Wu, said the program was only a trial and a final decision on whether to replace naps with meditation will depend on students' feedback after a month.

Wu said he has practiced meditation for nearly 20 years and it has benefitted him tremendously.

Another reason behind the change is that the iron-framed bunk beds in the school's dormitory posed safety risks as students climbed up and down, Wu said.

Next up: Modifications mean more people can be packed into some Guangzhou subway trains.