A total of 23,520 Chinese university students volunteered in
rural areas last year in the fields of education, farming, medicine
and poverty reduction, according to the Ministry of Personnel.
It included more than 10,000 students teaching in rural areas,
8,000 students "assisting agriculture", 2,800 medical students
offering help in rural medicine and 2,200 helping in poverty
alleviation, according to the latest ministry figures.
There was an equal balance of male and female students, with 23
percent members of the Communist Party of China and 73 percent
members of the Communist Youth League, it shows, adding 46 percent
of students had bachelor degrees and 1.8 percent had post-graduate
degrees.
More Chinese college students have been willing to serve in
rural areas in recent years, especially as it is often difficult
for new graduates to find jobs without any work experience.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)