Initiated by Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, funded by SSCLF New Era Culture Special Fund, and executed by Chengdu Burgeon Public Service Development and Promotion Centre, the “Beautiful School Uniform to Daliang Mountains” donation ceremony was held recently in Dimo Primary School, Meigu County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. Representatives of the special fund management committee, school uniform designers and loving people travelled to Daliang Mountains, and attended the donation ceremony together with the leaders of Meigu County Education Bureau. More than 600 sets of new school uniforms and school bags combining traditional Yi characteristics and modern fashion elements were delivered to altogether eight village primary schools in Daliang Mountains under the jurisdiction of Burgeon Public Service Volunteer Education Organization, the project executor, on the eve of the autumn school year, with over 600 Yi students wearing their first ethnic school uniforms in the new semester.

Nine years of compulsory education has been introduced for ten years in Daliang Mountains; however, due to historical reasons, there are still a large number of village-run schools relying on volunteers recruited by social welfare organizations to complete village schooling. Having their own school uniforms is also a common dream of many children in the Daliang Mountains area. SSCLF launched the “Beautiful School Uniforms” public welfare project, inviting professional designers to design and produce unique ethnic school uniforms, helping more than 600 Yi students in eight Daliang Mountains village schools to realize their dream of owning their personal school uniforms. The initiators and loving people hope that through the school uniform culture, the national self-confidence and cultural identity of Daliang Mountains children will be enhanced, which is meanwhile conducive to the cultivation of team spirit.

At the donation ceremony held at Dimo Primary School, nearly 200 Yi students dressed in ethnic school uniforms sang and danced to welcome guests from afar and express their gratitude to the loving people. In addition to attending the donation ceremony, the caring people also visited Watuo Primary School and Riha Primary School, as well as some of the students’ families, to have a further understanding of the current rural education situation in Daliang Mountains.

The photo of the donation ceremony held in Dimo Primary School

Students at the donation ceremony
 

 Students saluting the national flag

Boys of Dimo Primary School wearing the new school uniforms

Girls of Dimo Primary School holding new school bags

Students of Dimo Primary School performing Yi dance