Recently, the Cyan Cherry Blossoms Program (CCBP), a summer vacation social practice program of Wuhan University (WHU), was included in the National Social Practice Brand Project list for its contributions in encouraging college students to organize and participate in social practice activities. Since 2021, groups of outstanding WHU students have been selected as interns to serve local governments under the guidance of the Student Career Guidance and Service Center and the Youth League Committee, who have witnessed changes in grass-roots areas.
As an important branch of the CCBP, the students of Groups 4 and 5 gathered at Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (ETDZ) to undertake a six-week internship, during which they gained a better understanding of Wuhan city and its primary-level governance. “Truly fascinated by various high-tech industries, we witnessed the high-quality development there”, recalled Zhao Minxuan and Zhou Yuqian, captain and vice-captain of Groups 4 and 5.
Groups 4 & 5 at ETDZ
During their internship, students visited the Talent Innovation Port of Vehicle Valley. At Dongfeng Honda and the CICV (Wuhan) Test & Demonstration Zones, they got on the driverless minibus and the advanced “future car”. In the exhibition hall, they redesigned the layout and exhibit contents. “I feel so proud to be able to use my knowledge to make some changes in this area,” said Zhao with excitement.
Zhao and other members have learned how to develop and implement a well-functioned policy, but students seldom have a chance to closely observe the operations of government departments in real life. Because of CCBP, they could engage in the full cycle of government policy-making. Interns who were in the Political and Legal Affairs Committee said they faced a great challenge when assisting in publicizing the pilot construction of social governance modernization in ETDZ and strived to find new ways of governance modernization in megacities. Students in the Organization Department of Work Committee in ETDZ said they became familiar with the Talents Introduction Policy after getting involved in the work of the department. Zhao said, “I think the talent policy is one of the reasons why ETDZ has developed so fast. People here know how to turn knowledge into wealth.” Students in other departments said they got a valuable opportunity to learn work skills in practice, like how to edit government documents, how to organize activities, etc. Zhou shared her new understanding of ETDZ, “ETDZ is not only an impetus to the real economy of Wuhan, it also has rich cultural deposits with its architectural art and customs.”
Group members visit the Talent Innovation Port of Vehicle Valley
During summer vacation, hundreds of students just like Zhao and Zhou participated in the CCBP, completing research and internships in Hubei, Sichuan, and Shanxi provinces. CCBP builds a bridge between campus and society. Through this program, WHU students get to learn in practice, explore their future paths and realize their values in the process of social practice activities.
Photo by Groups 4 & 5
Edited by Li Tong, Li Jing, Wu Jing, Zhang Yilin, Sylvia, Xibingqing
