Farmers helped out of poverty by Shanghai universities rally to help
A truck arrives at the East China University of Science and Technology on Tuesday with fresh vegetables and bottled water from Xundian County in Yunnan Province.
Areas that received help from universities in Shanghai to get out of poverty are giving back to the universities that are now under closed-loop management due to the latest resurgence of COVID-19 in the city.
Yesterday, the East China University of Science and Technology received two truckloads of fresh vegetables and bottled mineral water from Xundian County in southwest Yunnan Province, which it has been aiding in poverty relief and development. The two heavy trucks entered the university's campus in Xuhui District after disinfection at the gate on Tuesday morning.
Xundian is about 2,300 kilometers from Shanghai and it took two days and nights for the two trucks to arrive.
The vegetables, including potatoes, Chinese baby cabbage and broccoli, were harvested by Xundian farmers and the bottled water is from local springs.
On Tuesday evening, the university canteens began serving dishes cooked with the donated vegetables.
Vegetables and water from Xundian
Fudan University has received 32,112 packages of snacks of walnuts and other specialties from Yongping County of Yunnan Province, which it has been assisting in development for 10 years and where its faculty member Wang Jue is now the vice mayor.
The products were donated by the Yongping E-commerce Service Center and the Aqingsao Food Co.
They contacted Wang after learning the university was locked down on March 13 and expressed their wish to donate food to the university and support it to overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic.
"They told me that Fudan has been helping Yongping for 10 years and they wish to do something for Fudan when it needs help," said Wang. "I'm really touched."
Xundian farmers harvest vegetables to send to Shanghai.
Wang said the county alleviated poverty only two years ago and local enterprises are not big business, but they were very keen to make the generous donations.
"The university does not want to increase the economic burden on the enterprises, so I suggested them to donate a rational amount of food for the university canteens," he said.
"But the e-commerce center decided to offer 30,000 packages of snacks to ensure each of the faculty and students under lockdown will get one, while the company donated 2,112 bags of pickled vegetables."
Wang said he had asked them if the donations will cause economic pressure on them, but they said: "it doesn't matter. We would like to help Fudan first and do business later."
The products left Yongping on March 23 and arrived in Shanghai on the weekend.
The university said it will distribute them to faculty and students via the canteens on campus.
Xundian vegetables served in canteens at the East China University of Science and Technology.
