Zhou Qifeng, Peking University president, has welcomed freshmen to campus life by narrating his own tough years as a college student. Hopefully, his story will inspire the students, 20 percent of whom are from poor families, to excel in their respective fields, says an article in Xinhua Daily Telegraph. Excerpts:

Unlike the earlier generations of students who were determined to succeed even in the face of hardships and lack of opportunities, today's youths seem to lack the will to overcome difficulties and poverty. The lack of hardships, it seems, has made college students extremely sensitive and weak.

Students from poor families show two extreme traits. They are either self-abased or ostentatious. It is important to provide them with material help, but it is more important to help them become mentally stronger.

Admittedly, few youths have to venture into the unknown world with little or no money in their pocket. But they should never give up the tradition of hard work, independence and self-improvement passed down to us by our forefathers. This should be the lesson that all educators should impart to their students.

A girl entering college reportedly asked her mother to buy her with an iPhone, an iPad and a Macbook, because without them she would "lose face", and didn't want to hear that they were unaffordable.

The girl is not the only to ask for such gadgets to elevate herself in the eyes of her fellow students. Frequent reports of young people selling their kidneys to buy iPhones reflect the spread of spiritual poverty across society. Without inner peace and proper understanding of the material world, people will only increase their mental agony.

Therefore, it is important to start personality education for teenagers immediately to help them develop a healthy mentality. And that would require the participation of families, schools and society.

(China Daily 09/05/2012 page9)