By Jin Lu

On the morning of July 15, more than 20 Chinese and international students from the Business School of Ningbo University traveled to Sizhang Village in Fenghua District to take part in an agricultural activity—harvesting lotus flowers and seed pods straight from the pond. Wearing rubber waders and carrying specialized shears, the students worked through the muggy summer air, carefully clipping lotus buds and pods under the guidance of local farmers.

The activity is part of the Business School's practical learning model, which emphasizes hands-on experiences in real-world settings. Since forming a partnership with the Communist Youth League of Jinping Subdistrict last year, the school has been sending groups of students into local communities each month for immersive fieldwork.

As dawn broke over the lush lotus fields, students gathered for a safety briefing from a local farmer. Zeina Saeed, a Sudanese student still in her teens, was the first to step into the muddy water, only to find herself stuck in the thick silt. With a farmer's help, she managed to free herself and carry on. "Now I truly understand how hard lotus harvesting is," she said.

"I felt like I'd stepped into one of those ancient Chinese poems about lotuses," said William Leslie, a student from Indonesia. "I'd love to join more of these experiences—they really help my Mandarin, and Ningbo is such a great place."

After the harvest, students packed up their lotus flowers and pods and brought them to downtown Fenghua for a charity sale. All proceeds were donated to local children they had previously been paired with through a a community support program.