While most college students headed home for their summer vacation this year, 19 student members of HXIT’s the Spark Practice Team traveled thousands of miles to Xiaoguan Township, Suiyang County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, for a 16-day social practice focusing on "Three Rural Issues" .
Since 2020, HXIT has organized practice teams to deliver public-welfare activities in Xiaoguan Township for six consecutive years. Over 100 students have been dispatched to the site to support rural education and public-service assistance. Successive cohorts of team members have passed on the baton, devoting their youth to rural areas.
The public-welfare summer camp stands as a key long-term project of HXIT’s practice team. During classes, volunteers delivered a wide range of engaging courses to help local children broaden their horizons and acquire new knowledge. After class, they interacted and played with the youngsters, accompanying them through a rewarding and joyful summer break. Across the 16-day program, the team brought warmth to the summer childhoods of 89 local children.
In addition to providing teaching support, team members took the initiative to learn about local farmers’ needs and assisted with tea-leaf picking in local tea gardens. Working under the scorching mountain sun among the tea bushes, the students took part in hands-on agricultural work. They contributed to the development of the local specialty tea industry and rural industrial revitalization through practical efforts.
Through rural life and field labor, members of the Spark Practice Team built genuine insights into rural development and grassroots livelihoods. In their spare time, the team also organized rural basketball friendship matches. The relaxed and lively games bridged gaps between teachers, students and local villagers and strengthened ties between HXIT and the local community.
“We used to learn about rural areas only from textbooks. Only by coming here in person can we see what the countryside is really like,” said one team member.
More than ten days of grassroots practice helped students step out of campus and experience authentic rural life. Every experience, from preparing and giving lessons to picking tea and supporting local industries, was meaningful.
HXIT’s Spark Practice Team serves as a vivid example of young people nationwide taking part in the “Three Rural Issues” social practice. A large many young students respond to national calls to step out of campus, integrate theoretical knowledge with rural realities, pursue self-improvement and contribute to society through grassroots practice.
