Youth brigade

Most schools across the country have postponed the opening of the spring semester, but the students have greater concerns than their studies.

An image of two girls in school uniform standing in front of a truck loaded with vegetables, with a banner tied to it reading "Wuhan be strong", has become popular online.

Sixteen-year-olds Zheng Wenyu and Ye Qianqiu are students at Hainan Middle School. Together with their classmates, they initiated a donation for Wuhan on WeChat groups, according to Hainan Daily, a local newspaper.

Their peers, including friends and classmates, donated their pocket money and even their "lucky" money, which is given to children as a Lunar New Year gift. About 120,000 yuan ($17,170) was raised within two days.

Learning that sales of agricultural products in Hainan plunged due to the epidemic, they used the funds to purchase 60 metric tons of pumpkins and gourds from local farmers and had them transported to Wuhan.

Netizens praised their fundraising efforts and said they had set an example for the younger generation.

Xinhua