Shanghai Polytechnic team signs up as vital volunteers

FIVE teachers and 153 students from Shanghai Polytechnic University will be among the volunteers at the second China International Import Expo from next week after taking a vow at a ceremony yesterday to serve the event to the best of their abilities.

The university began to recruit CIIE volunteers in June and organized tests to select the most capable students. Most of those chosen are majoring in exhibition economy and management, international business and logistics.

Wang Junqing, a third-year major in international business, said she and her colleagues were tested on their knowledge of the expo, their reasons for wanting to be volunteers and their English proficiency.

After being recruited, they were trained in more detailed knowledge about the expo, first-aid and other skills.

“We haven’t been in the National Exhibition and Convention Center yet but were told that we will be serving in the intangible cultural heritage pavilion. I feel proud that I will be able to introduce the heritage of China to visitors from all over the world,” she said.

Wang said she decided to apply for the program after an older student in her major had shared his experiences of volunteering at the first CIIE last year.

“He said he had learned a lot that couldn’t be taught in the classroom and the volunteers’ spirits of sacrifice, caring and helpfulness also inspired me,” she said. “The expo is one of the most important events in Shanghai and China. Although I’m a student, I wish and feel proud to contribute as much as I can to it.”

Wang said she was also curious about the cutting-edge exhibits to be displayed and wished to have a close look at them.

“You will have to work really hard in the following days. You will have to leave the university at 4am and come back late at night,” Mo Liangjin, vice president of the university, told students at the ceremony.

“But you will find all the hardship worthwhile,” he said. “You will be able to see the beautiful scenery you’ve never seen on the campus in the early morning. And all the sweat will also make you happy and your youth more splendid.”

Last year, 214 students and teachers volunteered for the expo.

The expo will run from November 5 to 10 but volunteers will go to the venue on Monday to prepare and work until the extended exhibition, including opening to the public, ends on November 20.

The university has set up a service center for CIIE volunteers, with teachers, tutors, dorm and canteen operators, as well as other staff.

It also developed a smart special wrist band for volunteers for when to get up, when to meet and when to eat. The university can also use the bands to monitor their health by noting their heart rate and the distance they walk.