Centers of excellence

Tsinghua students have visited the villages of Dashuipo several times, according to Zhang. They lived in the villages and talked to farmers to learn about the local history, dialect and geographical features, as well as the farmers' food and lifestyle.

With the knowledge they have accumulated from their field studies, they have facilitated street construction and designed trash cans, village logos and packages for local agricultural products.

"The rural revitalization provides us with good opportunities to apply our knowledge," says Zhang.

For example, students from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua have helped transform houses that have been left unused into ones with local features. The buildings of the Wendeng station at Dashuipo adopted the same ridge shape as local houses to present a dynamic effect.

The station, which took more than one year to complete, features an opening core area surrounded by facilities including a theater and an exhibition room. Near the station, unused local houses have been transformed into homestays and a coffee room.

"During the design and construction of the station, we overcame many difficulties. We had to reschedule our work plans to account for the rainy season," says Zhang, adding that it was not easy to turn their design into reality.