A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Chang Peng watched as the design students spent their days sketching on drawing boards, while those antique computers in the classroom were just taking up space.

Forget about professional design software, even simple drawing tools can't run. They crash as soon as you open them. Students can only draw by hand, which is not only inefficient, but also makes it impossible to digitize many creative ideas.

He was extremely anxious, thinking: without good hardware, even the most brilliant ideas will only rot on paper. He couldn't keep letting the children busy themselves with their drawing boards, and the collaborative project with Dalian Vocational College couldn't be advanced either.

Immediately, Chang Peng took out his phone and called Zhou Mingyu, his tone urgent and sincere: "Director Zhou, I have something urgent to tell you!"

Students majoring in design at vocational colleges want to engage in cultural and creative industries and design, but their computers are all outdated, several years old, and unusable with professional software. They can't even do basic digital design. Without hardware upgrades, students' abilities cannot be fully utilized.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingyu also took it seriously, knowing that educational infrastructure was fundamental and could not be neglected. He quickly contacted the relevant departments in Liaoning who were assisting Xinjiang, and after a period of communication and coordination, he finally received good news.

A portion of the aid funds for Xinjiang was specifically allocated for the upgrading of the vocational college's facilities!

Before long, 20 brand-new live-streaming classrooms and 200 high-performance computers were installed at the vocational college.

When Guzalinur and her classmates arrived at the new computer lab, they couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "This equipment is amazing! We can finally turn our hand-drawn sketches into digital designs, and we feel more confident collaborating with Dalian Vocational College!"

She couldn't wait to sit down and turn on the computer, watching the professional design software load rapidly on the screen.

But when the software interface fully unfolded, she was dumbfounded. The screen was filled with English icons, and the toolbar had all sorts of functions. She couldn't even find the option to create a new canvas, let alone perform complicated operations such as adjusting brush strokes or layer overlays.

I finally managed to open the drawing tool by guesswork, trying to replicate the hand-drawn cotton pattern, but the mouse just wouldn't cooperate. The lines I drew were crooked, either too thick or too thin, a far cry from the delicate effect of a hand-drawn one.

Guzalinur turned her head and saw that most of the other students were also at a loss: some were staring blankly at the software interface, their fingers hovering on the keyboard, not knowing which key to press;

Some people click and try things randomly, accidentally messing up the software settings, and it takes them a long time to recover them;

Another student finally managed to draw something, but forgot to save it before closing the software, and got so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.

Anxious whispers filled the server room: "This software is way too complicated, it's all in English, we can't understand it at all!"

"The equipment is good, but nobody knows how to use it; it's practically just for show!"

"We were hoping to catch up with the schedule using the new equipment, but now it's only made things worse. We might as well have just drawn it by hand!"

Looking at the chaotic scene in the computer room, Chang Peng knew that being anxious was useless and he had to find a solution quickly.

"Don't panic, students. If you don't know how to use the equipment, we'll learn."

Hardware upgrades are meant to allow everyone to perform better; they shouldn't be just for show!

After saying that, he immediately took out his phone and called Lin Wei from Dalian Vocational College, his tone earnest: "Teacher Lin, I need your help with something."

Our new equipment has just arrived, and the students have absolutely no idea how to use the professional design software. We still need to submit the revised plans for the collaborative project. Could you coordinate with the team to organize an online training session?

It not only teaches software operation, but also covers market research and user needs analysis, helping children keep up with the pace.

Lin Wei was silent for a few seconds, then said with a troubled tone, "Our team does have a lot of projects on hand, but since it's a collaborative project, we definitely have to help out."

Okay, we'll hold classes in the evenings, two hours each time, and try to explain the core operations and research methods thoroughly. But your students' foundation is too weak, so whether they can keep up depends on themselves.

"No problem, thank you so much, Teacher Lin."

Chang Peng quickly thanked them, and after hanging up the phone, he announced the training news to the students. Guzalinur and the others were instantly filled with hope, and most of the anxiety on their faces disappeared.

But just as the training was finalized, a new problem arose: some students had to work part-time in the evenings to supplement their family income and could not participate in the online courses in their entirety.

Even those who do come have varying levels of basic knowledge; some can't even recognize all the English icons, making the training ineffective.

Chang Peng wasn't stumped. He turned his attention to practical matters: online training alone wasn't enough. Students needed to practice in real-world situations to truly master the skills.

He immediately decided to take the initiative to connect with local enterprises to set up a training base so that students could participate in real projects and learn while practicing.

He first approached a local company that makes cultural and tourism products. When the person in charge, Mr. Zhang, heard his idea, he shook his head directly: "Teacher Chang, it's not that I'm not giving you face, but your students don't even know how to use software. If they come in, they'll just cause trouble."

We need people who can start working immediately. Who will bear the losses if our cultural and creative packaging project is delayed?

Undeterred by the setback, Chang Peng approached a cotton processing company. The manager, Mr. Li, also had many concerns: "What we need is packaging design that fits the market. The students haven't worked on actual projects, so their designs are unlikely to meet our needs, and we'll have to rework them. It's too much of a hassle."

Chang Peng patiently pleaded, "President Li, please give the children a chance to try."

I supervised the entire process. I checked the students' designs first, and I would never hand them over if they didn't meet my requirements.

If this can really help you solve your problem, you'll have another talent pool in the future—what a great deal!

After much persuasion, Mr. Li finally relented: "Alright, then we'll try designing a small batch of cotton packaging. I'll give you two weeks. If it doesn't work out, we won't be able to continue the cooperation."

Just as Chang Peng breathed a sigh of relief, Wang, the design teacher at the school, approached him with a questioning tone: "Teacher Chang, aren't you going to be too much of a hassle?"

Design relies on creativity, not software skills or corporate projects. Spending so much energy on training and building facilities is a waste of resources; it would be better to let students practice hand-drawing!

"Teacher Wang, things are different now!"

Chang Peng countered, "Students need to keep up with the market. If they only know hand-drawing but not software or understand the needs, no one will want their designs, and their learning will be in vain."

The practical training base can help them avoid detours; this isn't a waste of resources, it's paving the way for the children!

Teacher Wang pursed her lips and didn't argue anymore, but her indifference was obvious.

On one hand, there's the need to coordinate online training schedules and cater to students with varying levels of background; on the other hand, there's the urgent two-week deadline given by the company, plus the skepticism from teachers within the school. Chang Peng is under immense pressure.

But seeing the expectation in Guzalinur and the others' eyes, he gritted his teeth: no matter how difficult it is, we have to get through it and not let the children's hopes be dashed.