Mu Feng graduated from the prestigious Medical School of Peking
University last year and was immediately offered a nice job in a
big hospital in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong
Province. The new young physician had it made.
But surprising everyone, he suddenly passed up the chance and
instead chose to be a volunteer for one year at a small village
hospital in North China's Inner
Mongolia.
One year has passed, and Doctor Mu has not only completed his
voluntary service in Inner Mongolia, but he has applied to stay in
the rural hospital for life.
He said he "felt needed" there.
More than 10,000 young people applied to provide one year's
service in the country's poorer western region last year, and 6,000
of them finally made their way to become volunteers of a nationwide
project sponsored by the All-China Youth
Federation.
As another year of service is going to end this summer, 4,030 of
them have expressed their desire to stay on for another year, said
Zhao Yong, a senior leader with the federation, at a news
conference Tuesday in Beijing.
And there were another third of the volunteers who said they
wanted to settle down in the west for their careers, like Mu.
The project started last year as a move to support the country's
western development strategy and promote the "volunteer spirit in
China," officials said.
Zhao said the project has done a great deal of good to local
economy and education programs.
(China Daily April 14, 2004)