Tongji University cultivates appreciation for manual labor

Tongji University on November 19 launched its education base for labor practices as part of efforts to improve students' awareness for manual labor.

Peng Zhenwei, the university's deputy Party secretary, said the university will renovate some areas that have not been used for some time and make them suitable for students to experience different forms of labor.

One of the projects launched on the same day was a rooftop garden atop one of the teaching buildings on campus, where over 60 students sowed flower seedlings.

"When we finished planting the seedlings, we felt a sense of achievement. It was also a chance to apply what I have learned," said Wang Hongtao, an undergraduate in landscape architecture at Tongji.

Chen Jing, the tutor of the project and a teacher in architecture and urban planning at Tongji, said the project will offer students an opportunity to connect with the natural world and respect lives.

"They will get to understand the meaning of labor through hard work," Chen said.

Eleven workshops for areas such as water treatment, house storage, and handicrafts will be made available to students as well.