During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Rewi Alley relocated the Bailie School to Shandan in Gansu Province. At a time of war and limited resources, the school welcomed young people from poor farming families and refugee communities across northwest China. Through hands-on apprenticeship training and guidance from foreign specialists, students acquired industrial, mechanical and medical skills, with many later becoming skilled professionals after the founding of the People's Republic of China.