On the afternoon of September 25,Xinya Collegeheld the2021Practice and Labor-based Study Summary Conference. It had two parts. Summer practice groups of Xinya College made summary reports in the first part, and four summer labor education groups made presentation reports in the second part. Finally, teachers made comments and summary about them.

First half: Summer practice summary

Reporting group:

1. Yanmai Anbang Group

2. Tunan Group

3. Summer Study Tour Workshop of Xinya Architecture group

Three summer practice groups replied queries and shared their experience in making preparations and organizing the practice in the first half of the conference. "Yanmai Anbang" group, headed by Wu Yuqi enrolled in 2020, discussed how to maintain the guesthouses in remote rural areas and their development rules, the serious loss of rural labor and other social issues based on practice under the theme of how the spirit of Yan'an guides local development.

"Tunan" group, headed by Zeng Zixin enrolled in 2019, reported the results of its investigation and analysis of ancient and modern buildings in Hangzhou and Ningbo, and showed how the elements of building materials, streamlines, and space design are related to people.

Du Yige, a member of the Summer Study Tour Workshop of the School of Xinya Architecture group, illustrated their summer design training activities that underpinned the mentoring system of Xinya College, and achievements like the Summer Collection of Reviews of Xinya Architecture group. Besides, Li Jinwen from the practice group of the Working Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) of Xinya and Liu Meng enrolled in 2018 shared their experience in the preliminary preparation of the theme practice of the semester in combination with the general course of "Chinese Philosophy (1)" and the theme practice of "Experiencing Rural China", so as to provide reference for other students to organize such practices on their own.

Gan Yang,Dean of Xinya College, and Kong Xiangrui, a counselor, made comments on each group in the first half of the conference. Kong Xiangrui proposed questions concerning why the guesthouses can maintain their operation despite the unfavorable customer market and labor force as found by "Yanmai Anbang" group during practice. He encouraged students to observe the phenomenon and think from various aspects. Mr. Gan imposed higher requirements for the first two practice groups. He stressed that the practice design needed to be improved and the advantages of field investigation emphasized. He also pointed out that the Workshop had a clear purpose, made good effects, and followed the fine tradition of Xinya in "mentoring" the juniors, which deserved to be passed on and popularized.

Second half: Summer education summary

Reporting group:

1. Jiangxi Wuyuan Group

2. Hubei Enshi Group

3. Shaanxi Yulin Jingbian Group

4. Shaanxi Yulin Yuyang Group

Jiangxi Wuyuan Group

First of all, Zhao Linxi enrolled in 2020 reported on the practice of Jiangxi Wuyuan Group. The members learned how to collect and plant rice seedlings in paddy fields, and plow and sow on dry land, lived and worked along with factory workers, and worked on the assembly line in daytime, and read and discussedWalden at night, so as to live a life with minimal materials and a clear spirit. Kong Xiangrui said that labor education program helped deepen the bond between group members. They began to put themselves in the shoes of the workers, felt the mechanical, repetitive and painful nature of the labor work, and admired the workers for their optimism.

Hubei Enshi Group

Liu Guangpu and Zhong Tianyuenrolled at Xinya College in 2020 and Zhang Tianyi from Weiyang College reported on behalf of Hubei Enshi Group. They presented how the group members removed weeds, planted and dug, and shared their views that "poverty alleviation should aim to solve practical problems", "we should forget our identity to blend in, and also keep our identity in mind for reflection and improvement", "labor education program helps us remove distracting thoughts and feel the nature; communicating with fellow students helps us discover a broader dimension of life and enrich ourselves".

Shaanxi Yulin Jingbian Group

Afterwards, Xie Peiyao, head of the group, introduced the rural labor and woodland labor in the desertification control base oftheJinjisha Village. The group visited the desertification control heroine Niu Yuqin and the teacher Zhang, combined study and labor work, and felt a sense of freedom in reading Xi Jinping's seven-year chronicle and in a non-urban space.

Shaanxi Yulin Yuyang Group

At last, Liu Xingjian and Li Qingyang from Shaanxi Yulin Yuyang Group talked about their labor practice. They said that labor practice helped the students relax mentally, overcome physical and psychological obstacles, and learn to blend themselves in. At the reading seminar after labor, group members talked about what they learned from labor and realized that they were still far away from the real rural life.

After the presentation, the lead teachers of all labor education groups and the guest teachers present made comments. Mr. Zhao Xiaoli made reflection on the group and proposed that the communication with the local area should be strengthened and more labor done. He also emphasized that the students should not be afraid of difficulties but put themselves into real work instead of just "experiencing labor". Mr. Zhang Weite pointed out that the group had insufficient understanding of the countryside, agriculture, and farmers, and did not well combine study with labor work, and that exchanges between fellow students that do not know each other were not enough. He suggested that those in higher grades should function as instructor and areas of exploration be expanded. Mr. Li Zhen reflected on the issue that the government arranged more visits than labor, and acknowledged the good collective atmosphere created by students that made all-out efforts during the program. Cheng Zhengyu, Deputy Secretary of the CCYLTsinghuaUniversity Committee, proposed that Xinya labor education program was a meaningful and unique practice model, and provided a reference and a model for labor education. As a tradition of Xinya College, labor education program united not only the Xinya community, but also the community of students, workers and farmers. It was meaningful for students to temporarily break away from the busy study in school, return to themselves, and recognize the value of "human" itself. Finally, Mr. Gan Yang made a summary.

He pointed out that the practice of labor education is to separate one from the campus, elevate people's initiative, make people not isolated, and abandon formalism. Therefore, more efforts should be put into labor work, and they should be truly integrated into labor, and conduct more in-depth communication with the local area. Upon hearing that, students started to ask themselves: "Without the reputation of Tsinghua University, who am I?" Mr. Gan warned us not to be "egoists", but to be honest to the society and to ourselves. We must be down-to-earth and help others with a big heart.

Photo by: Wang Ruomei