Hunan city invites students to take free city tour

Liling in Hunan province has invited college students and high school graduates from across the country to visit the city this summer in a bid to attract more young talent to work there.

The city launched a free tour for students recently, with buses arranged to pick them up from the nearby cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.

They were taken to tourist sites — including the porcelain museum — ate local delicacies, watched a concert, set off fireworks and purchased inexpensive porcelain. About 2,000 students visited the city over a recent weekend.

With a history of over 1,000 years of porcelain production, Liling is known as one of the capitals of Chinese porcelain-making. Liling underglaze-colored porcelain was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008, and top-end underglaze-colored porcelain has been delivered to Beijing from the "State kiln" for national leaders, State banquets and as State gifts.

Meanwhile, many posts on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu show tourists picking up everyday porcelain, usually factory seconds and castoffs, for free or at cheap prices.

Liling is also one of China's four major fireworks-producing areas, with 176 enterprises making fireworks and firecrackers.

The city's porcelain and fireworks enterprises have also reserved paid internship slots for college students, who can help them in product design and social media promotion.

The students can also do field research on topics such as history, culture, the economy and industry. The city will offer bonuses for high-quality research reports.

Yin Shijun, vice-mayor of Liling, said the free tour aims to enable the students to appreciate the long history and culture of the city and the beauty of porcelain products.

"You are the future of the country and the nation, and we want to create a platform for you to showcase yourself and hone your skills," he said.

Wang Hui, an official with the Liling bureau of culture and tourism, said college students are the most dynamic and creative people. By attracting one college student, the city will have attracted a whole family and even a school. The tour aims to promote the city through the perspective of the students, she added.

Li Yang, 21, a college student from Chengdu, Sichuan province, joined the tour recently to visit Liling, which is where her grandmother lives.

Although she sometimes visits her grandmother, the tour enabled her to learn more about the city's history, culture and recent development, she said.

"I have picked up a great many porcelain cups and bowls, which are very beautiful," Li said. "I cannot wait to post them on my WeChat Moments so my friends and classmates can learn about the city."

Huang Zizhuo, a 17-year-old high school graduate from Liling, said the tour had deepened his love for his hometown, as he did not have the time to tour the city closely before because he was busy studying.

"Seeing how well the city has developed makes me proud to be a Liling citizen, and perhaps I will return to work in the city after I graduate from college," he said.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn