Gen Z Interns Answering Call of the Countryside

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Chinese university students are increasingly taking summer jobs in agriculture and other rural sectors as they look to broaden their horizons. By Shanghai Observer Editor’s note: There was a time when Chinese university students would only consider internships at major technology companies or in traditional industries. Yet, Gen Z students appear to be keeping their options open, with many broadening their horizons in recent years by spending their summer vacation working at farms, in logistics centers and warehouses, or for online souvenir stores. Here, some of them share their experiences. It takes 50 minutes for Liu Yuyang to travel by high-speed train from Xi’an, the capital of China’s northwestern Shaanxi province, to Foping, a rural county about 290 kilometers south in Hanzhong. When the train finally emerges from the darkness of the lengthy Qinling Tunnel, she feels a sudden rush of excitement. Pulling into the train station on a wet July day, she takes in the breathtaking ………………………………