Fifty teachers and students from Zhonghe District’s Jinhe High School spent their summer vacation helping the Jinshengli community paint a mural wall along the Yuantong Temple hiking trail. They created over 10 large-scale artworks, giving the old trail a fresh new look. Happily, they said participating in this community activity made for a unique summer break.
The Jinhe Cultural and Educational Foundation called on student volunteers to head to the hiking trail to clean up the environment and paint. Under the blazing sun, the students, drenched in sweat, took part in environmental service learning. In addition to providing hikers with a cleaner and more comfortable trail experience, the activity also helped them stay physically active and enriched their summer vacation.
Student Chen Yixuan’s artwork was themed “Never Lose Your Inner Child”; another student, Wang Yuzhen, chose “Love” as her theme, aiming to express love for teachers, classmates, family, school, and the community.
Other diverse themes such as “Dreams,” “Be Yourself,” and “Aliens” added splashes of color to the hiking trail walls, offering a whimsical, childlike scenery to enjoy while hiking.
Yang Yuliang, chairman of the Jinhe Cultural and Educational Foundation, expressed hope that schools will organize more such activities in the future, allowing students to not only serve the local community but also gain a deeper understanding of it.
Chen Shuibing, principal of Jinhe High School, noted that the students not only demonstrated creativity but also gained valuable insights through giving, enabling their service learning to become more integrated with the community.
Lin Suyue, head of Jinshengli, stated that through the painting initiative, the Yuantong Trail has been given a new lease on life. She expressed gratitude to the teachers and students for their tremendous support, turning the mural wall into a source of pride for the community and highlighting the beautiful charm of Jinshengli, bringing a completely renewed atmosphere.