REGIONAL> Major News
Dalian recieves 3,000 students from quake-hit area
By Zhu Chengpei and Zhang Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-30 10:39

DALIAN：A special train carrying 1,482 students and teachers from Southwest China’s quake-hit Sichuan Province arrived Thursday afternoon at this port city in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

Along with students and teachers on another special train scheduled to arrive Friday, more than 3,000 students from Chengdu Neusoft Institute of Information will study at Dalian’s Neusoft Institute of Information from June 26 to August 28.

After a 44 hour journey of 1989 kilometers the students were tired, but they looked excited when they stepped off the train at the Dalian Railway Station.

“This is a happy journey. We were deeply impressed with it and I think we can have a good time here in this beautiful city,” said 19-year-old Zhao Mengmeng, who was accepted into Chengdu Neusoft last year.

Located in Dujiangyan, Chengdu Neusoft Institute of Information is 19 kilometers away from the epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake which hit Sichuan province on May 12.

All buildings in the institute were damaged although none collapsed. After the earthquake, the school put off uts teaching schedule and asked the students to go back home.

“We need to be responsible for our students, but it is impossible to restart teaching in the disaster-hit area. So we contacted the government in Dalian and Foshan, where we have other two IT institutes,” said Liu Jiren, chairman and CEO of China’s IT giant Neusoft Corp.

According to Liu, with the help of the governments in the two cities, the rescue headquarters of the State Council permitted some 4,600 students and teachers of the school to be transferred to study at two Neusoft institutes separately in Dalian and Foshan, of South China’s Guangdong province.

“The government and the people of Dalian spared no efforts to support us. We see the virtue and the passion of the city,” said Liu at Dalian Railway Station.

Zhang Chengyin, Secretary of the municipal CPC committee, and Xia Deren, Mayor of Dalian, have chaired several meetings to instruct relevant departments and institutions to make full preparation for the biggest student transfer since the May 12 earthquake.

“Our government institutions, companies, schools, and citizens all volunteer to offer help in this disaster relief,” said Zhu Chengqing, vice mayor of Dalian, while welcoming the students and teachers at the railway station.

According to her, Dalian public transport company offered 40 buses to pick up the students today. Dalian High-tech Industrial Zone donated 780,000 yuan worth of bedding and daily necessities. The education bureau allocated 500,000 yuan to subsidize every student 10 yuan per day. The 180,000 yuan donation of Dalian Neusoft Institute of Information will also be used to subsidize the students.

Dalian Neusoft Institute of Information has vacated 750 dorm rooms and a well-equipped teaching building for the students. They also made preparations in providing special computers, internet accounts, teachers, psychological tutors, and support crew. Staff of the students’ dining room has been trained to serve food of Sichuan favor.

“Half of our teaching buildings that were slightly damaged can be repaired in two months. They are supposed to be put into use in September, when the new semester begins,” said Hu Jingde, vice-president of Chengdu Neusoft Institute of Information. 

“We are grateful that Dalian is giving us a hand. In the next two months, our students will learn more than just book knowledge. Definitely, they will benefit from their study here in this passionate city and its famous software park,” Hu added.