Shanghai -- Flaring late-night neon, gorgeous skyscrapers and diversified street scenes have lost their glamour for local high school students. For them, the more charming cities are in the United States and China's-long time rival, Japan.

As many as 36.9 per cent junior high school students hope to become American citizens, while 14.9 per cent long to become Japanese citizens, the Labor Daily reported on Tuesday, citing a survey of 1,152 middle school students.

Fudan Univeristy social science professor Yu Hai said a lack of history education in the schools and familial influence are two main reasons for the students' choices.

Of 602 senior middle school students, 13.1 per cent of respondents dream of becoming American citizens, while 6.8 per cent want to become Japanese citizens. The other 11.5 per cent chose other countries.

Yu, who has been preparing a Survey on the Cultivation of National Spirit in High School Students and University Students, believes schools, families and society are to blame for the identity crisis.

History is a minor course, while Chinese, Math and English are three major subjects for junior middle school students across China. For senior high school students, history is a necessity only for students who major in liberal arts.

Forty per cent of students have no basic knowledge of China's numerous festivals. While six per cent are not familiar with its four great inventions - paper, printing, the compass and gunpowder, all of which played a pivotal role in advancing world civilization.

Parents who want their children to be dragons and phoenixes (mythical symbols for success) encouraged their offspring to 'have a feel for the moons of foreign countries'.

As many as 33 per cent of parents surveyed hope that their children become Americans in the future if the opportunity arises, while 37 per cent encourage their children to become Americans.

Relieving anti-Japanese sentiment

Thorny ties between China and Japan have shown signs of thawing after Shinzo Abe became the new Japanese Prime Minister. On the conditions of the improving ties, China's anti-Japan sentiment has eased.

There are nearly 50,000 Chinese in Japan, according to data released by the Japanese Civil Affairs Bureau.

Historical issues have become a major stumbling block between China and Japan, which led to a one-year-long suspension of top-level meetings between leaders.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a shrine that honors 14 war criminals along with 2.47 million died in World War Two further cooled the chilly ties, with China and Japan interpreting the visits in a different way.

China regards the shrine a symbol of past militarism, while Koizumi insisted his visits were to pay homage to the war dead.

Premier Wen Jiabao has accepted Abe's invitation to visit Japan in the spring during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, a sign of warming bilateral relations.

Favorable sentiment towards America

Behind the survey results is a favorable view of America in many Chinese minds.

As the wealthiest country in the world, the US is an image of paradise for parents.

In the minds of many Chinese, America is a free country without any restrictions. When a child makes a mistake at school, he or she will think that 'it is no big deal in the America", according to media reports.