Future in Their Hands: Sichuan school helps village students turn handicrafts into commodities

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A primary school in China's Southwestern city of Chengdu recently came up with a new idea to help rural students take hold of their future. And that came in the form of a charity gift shop. Students from poverty-stricken villages can sell their handicrafts made in class, and possibly start saving for the future. CGTN's RXQ brings us more on the story for today's special segment.

There are some 155 hand-crafted items for sale in this charity gift shop. All of them are made by primary students living in Sichuan Province's Shiyazi village.

LIU YUJIA, STUDENT SHI YAZI VILLAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL "I like making clay sculptures. The teacher taught us to make them in different forms and I enjoy making them with my friends."

FANG ZHONGMING, STUDENT SHI YAZI VILLAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL "I made a house and some chairs, a table and a well."

The store is managed by Chengdu Paotongshu Primary School. It encourages students from rural areas to sell their handicrafts made in class and start saving for their future even if this means buying some new clothes in the near future.

FANG ZHONGMING, STUDENT SHI YAZI VILLAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL "My dream is to buy a martial arts uniform set and a sandbag to practice the sport."

Starting from 2014, Paotongshu Primary School has provided a range of free lessons including mathematics, Chinese literature, music, and arts and crafts for children living in Shiyazi.

But more importantly, the school hopes to teach these kids how to take hold of their future, through a skill-set and an appreciation for hard work.

CHEN JIE, PRINCIPAL CHENGDU PAOTONGSHU PRIMARY SCHOOL "Every art piece contains a child's dream. The goal of opening a store like this is not only to help these students, but also to encourage them to create, and teach them the spirit of achieving one's dreams through hard work."

And with that in mind, the gift shop sold 41 handicrafts and made over 15-hundred yuan on the first day of school. The money will be given to the students who made the works.

Under Chengdu's public welfare initiative, the school is also looking to create a charity brand for the student artworks. It hopes to encourage more teachers and students to participate, and in the process broaden the scope and coverage of public welfare for children. RXQ, CGTN.