Okay, so you know how mommy and daddy make decisions for the family, right? Well, imagine there are many families in a big city, and the city leaders make decisions for all of them. This is kind of what federalism is like, where different groups (like states, provinces, or regions) have some power to make their own decisions, but still have to follow some rules set by the bigger group (like the national government).
In China, there are many different groups that make up the country, like different provinces with their own cultures and histories. So, the Chinese government tries to balance giving these groups some power to make their own decisions, while still keeping overall control. One way they do this is by having leaders from each group meet together to make decisions for the whole country, and by allowing some local leaders to make their own rules about things like education or economic development. However, the national government still has a lot of power over things like the military or foreign policy.
Overall, federalism in China is about finding the right balance between giving different groups some say in how things are run, while still keeping the country working together as a whole. Just like how mommy and daddy try to make decisions that are good for everyone in the family, even if some people might disagree at first, the Chinese government tries to make decisions that are good for everyone in the country.