Starting from Tanchang County in the west of China, Chen Wenxiang and Wang Yingzhen crossed nearly two thousand kilometers to Tianjin city on the coast of the Bohai Sea, where they became two freshmen of their dream school-- Tianjin University.
Since 2013, Tianjin University has paired up with Tanchang County in Gansu Province in poverty alleviation, and in 2020 Tanchang successfully lifted its people from absolute poverty and was removed from the ranks of poor counties.
Chen Wenxiang and Wang Yingzhen first got to know Tianjin University from the graduate volunteer groups the university has organized to teach in many middle schools at Tanchang as a means of poverty eradication through education since 2014.
“When I was studying in Jiucheng Middle School, my physics teacher was a member of TJU’s voluntary teaching team,” said Chen Wenxiang.
Both of the frosh felt fortunate to have come to TJU in 2019 for the College Science Camp.
"Our first impression of TJU’s Peiyangyuan Campus is its sense of modern technology and neatness. And we finally got to see the real Zhengdong Library that once only existed on pictures. It’s like we are in a beautiful dream, full of thrills and surprises.”
Wang Yingzhen (left) and Chen Wenxiang (right) take a photo on Peiyangyuan campus.
The two still remembered vividly the first trip to TJU for its College Science Camp. They were especially impressed by what they saw when visiting a laboratory, the simple and clean operating tables, advanced instruments and equipment, and the serious and devoted seniors in experiments.
Chen Wenxiang couldn’t help envying the students who could study in such an environment. The experience at the College Science Camp became a new driving force for him. Whenever he wanted to give up under the pressure of the heavy academic load of high school, he would think of the few short days at the science camp at TJU and resumed his enthusiasm for study, To mark the day he became a TJU student, Chen Wenxiang took a photo at the reception spot.
As for Wang Yingzhen, he was constantly motivated by what he heard about the university’s School of Chemical Engineering and Technology. “The discipline ranks first in China. Its researches are at the forefront of the world's chemical industry and students are taught by renowned scholars at home and abroad.” For Wang Yingzhen, who loves chemistry, this school is like a heaven to him.
As a student at Tanchang No.1 Middle School, Wang was lucky enough to participate in a letter exchange programme initiated by the voluntary team. In the letters, the TJU students showed him the university life he aspired to and the exciting world beyond the small town. The thick pile of letters not only carried the care and encouragement from the TJU seniors, but also strengthened his determination to pursue his studies at TJU.
Facing the upcoming university life, both Chen Wenxiang and Wang Yingzhen want to leave a memory worth remembering and hope to do more meaningful things while balancing their studies. "Our seniors at TJU have given us a lot of encouragement and help, and I want to have the opportunity to pass on this perseverance and help the students of Tanchang," said Chen Wenxiang and Wang Yingzhen.
By Pu Peiyang
Editor: Eva Yin
