Ningbo welcomes freshmen with 'blind boxes'

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province recently began providing "blind boxes" as gifts for more than 60,000 freshmen.

Each blind box contains the combination of a digital metro card and random gifts relating to travel, restaurants, and school supplies, such as tickets to famous scenic areas in Ningbo, cinema tickets, and stationery.

All freshmen at 15 colleges in the city will get the boxes through Yongpai, the smartphone application run by local media outlet Ningbo Daily.

"I attended the activity as soon as I learned about it," said Wang Keting, a resident of Ningbo who enrolled in the Ningbo University medical school this fall.

In addition to a metro card, Wang received tickets to the Ningbo Wildlife Zoo. "I haven't been to the zoo in years," said Wang, "I'm going to invite my nonlocal roommates and serve as their travel guide."

Li Zhangzhang from Shaanxi province is a freshman at Zhejiang Wanli University. Though he hasn't come to the city yet, he has heard the news from his classmates.

"I received a gift package with stationery. Though I haven't arrived yet, I've already felt the hospitality of the city," said Li.