Students in loving offer of free hotel rooms
Source: Xinhua |
August 20, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
COLLEGE students in Zhengzhou City, capital of central China's Henan Province, are booking 200 hotel rooms so families of migrant workers can meet up on Chinese Valentine's Day, or Qixi Festival, on Thursday.
The idea occurred to 12 undergraduates majoring in construction and engineering at Zhengzhou Jiaotong University after they finished a month-long job at a construction site, where they worked with migrant laborers every day.
"The living conditions of migrant laborers are really tough. They eat from lunchboxes at the construction site and sleep in a bunkhouse with dozens of fellow workers," said Wang Xuhui, one of the students.
Many migrants are away from their families while they make their living in the city, sometimes for years, said Wang. "We want to provide a more comfortable environment for the migrants to unite and spend the festival with their spouses or other family members."
But he said the primary purpose was to draw more attention to the status of migrant laborers.
The total cost of renting the rooms is estimated at 18,000 yuan (US$2,840). The students earned about 12,000 yuan through their part-time construction site job, and the rest is from the money for living expenses the students receive from their parents.
Wang said they chose to rent the rooms on Chinese Valentine's Day to make their action more meaningful as well as bring more attention to the traditional Chinese festival of love.
However, since extending their offer online last Thursday, only 10 migrant workers have contacted them to apply for the free rooms.
This may be because few migrant laborers use the Internet, said Fu Haipeng, another student involved in the plan. "And many migrants don't believe it. They think it's just a pie in the sky," Fu said.
The students have begun to distribute a leaflet with the aim of "recruiting" workers.
A worker surnamed Tan expressed gratitude for the offer but said he had got used to the accommodation at construction sites and was also too shy to take part in this kind of "romantic" activity.
Wang and Fu said they will go through with their plan no matter how many migrants respond.
"If there is money left over after the festival, we will use it to buy phone cards so they can communicate more with their faraway families," Wang said.
The idea occurred to 12 undergraduates majoring in construction and engineering at Zhengzhou Jiaotong University after they finished a month-long job at a construction site, where they worked with migrant laborers every day.
"The living conditions of migrant laborers are really tough. They eat from lunchboxes at the construction site and sleep in a bunkhouse with dozens of fellow workers," said Wang Xuhui, one of the students.
Many migrants are away from their families while they make their living in the city, sometimes for years, said Wang. "We want to provide a more comfortable environment for the migrants to unite and spend the festival with their spouses or other family members."
But he said the primary purpose was to draw more attention to the status of migrant laborers.
The total cost of renting the rooms is estimated at 18,000 yuan (US$2,840). The students earned about 12,000 yuan through their part-time construction site job, and the rest is from the money for living expenses the students receive from their parents.
Wang said they chose to rent the rooms on Chinese Valentine's Day to make their action more meaningful as well as bring more attention to the traditional Chinese festival of love.
However, since extending their offer online last Thursday, only 10 migrant workers have contacted them to apply for the free rooms.
This may be because few migrant laborers use the Internet, said Fu Haipeng, another student involved in the plan. "And many migrants don't believe it. They think it's just a pie in the sky," Fu said.
The students have begun to distribute a leaflet with the aim of "recruiting" workers.
A worker surnamed Tan expressed gratitude for the offer but said he had got used to the accommodation at construction sites and was also too shy to take part in this kind of "romantic" activity.
Wang and Fu said they will go through with their plan no matter how many migrants respond.
"If there is money left over after the festival, we will use it to buy phone cards so they can communicate more with their faraway families," Wang said.
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