Ninghai leverages college students in rural vitalization

A student introduces her graduation project at an oral defense meeting held in Ninghai county, Ningbo, Zhejiang province on June 20. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Ninghai county in Ningbo has been inviting college teachers and students to carry out graduation projects revolving around its development in recent years.

In 2022, students from 12 colleges in the Yangtze River Delta region, including Donghua University, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, and Zhejiang University of Technology completed 60 graduation projects in the county's Hutou and Xiafan villages, focusing on environmental art, visual communication, cultural and creative product design, and digital media.

In February, a campaign was launched in Ninghai. During the event, more than 400 teachers and students from 67 colleges around the nation will complete their graduation dissertations and projects based on the development of the county's Xidian town. To date, 141 dissertations and 210 projects have been submitted. 

An oral defense meeting was held on June 20. Chen Qingjun, professor of Donghua University, was present.

"This year's projects cover a wider range of subjects and are more practical," Chen said.

Huang Chenjia, a student at Donghua University, completed a public landscaping project for Lingkou village in Xidian. Her project has been adopted by the village and is expected to be built in half a month.

"The current public spaces in the village are not suitable for elderly people. That's why I designed an interactive rest space in the village," Huang said.

"Lingkou village lacks design talent. The students help us deal with this problem," said Shu Yingchun, the village's Party branch secretary.