Sima's Garden

Sima's Garden (Chinese: 司馬的花園; pinyin: Sīmǎ de huāyuán) was a Tsengian children's television series directed by Kan Mingzhu and hosted by Sima Guiying that aired between 1983 and 1993 on TBS-1. Sima's Garden replaced the Happy Mornings program.

Occupying mornings from Monday to Saturday, the program featured studio segments (mostly competitions and musical numbers) interspersed with cartoons, anime and Tsengdonghua. Soon after debuting, it quickly became the most successful children's program in Tsengian history, transforming its presenter into a cultural phenomenon. In 1987, she launched a Cantonese version on, and in 1990, she launched a Japanese version of the show, Sima no Niwa (シマの庭).

The program
Sima's Garden was directed by Kan Mingzhu, with Richard Bao-shan as the production coordinator and Lai Xiulan as musical director. Lai has written or co-written the majority of Sima's songs since Sima's Garden.

The program showcased plays, musical acts, circus acts, games and cartoons. More than two hundred children attended every taping. Sima Guiying often delivered messages about self-esteem, caring for the environment and being kind to others, often through morality plays in the middle of the program.

The program became quickly popular. Sima referred to her audience as "my dear friends" (我親愛的朋友們; pinyin: wǒ qīn'ài de péngyǒumen) and became known as the "Empress of Children's Television" (兒童電視皇后; pinyin: Értóng diànshì huánghòu). Many Sima-branded products were launched, including dolls, accessories and clothing.