Although for the first time ever Xie Yu was unable to spend the Spring Festival holiday with her parents, she nonetheless considered it to be the most memorable Spring Festival of her life.
The 21-year-old student is one of the 1,310 volunteers from the Harbin Institute of Technology at the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province.
"When I got the news that volunteers were being selected for the Games, I signed up immediately, due to my love for winter sports and a strong sense of social responsibility," she said. "I was appointed to the position of audience guide for the opening and closing ceremonies, so I had to stay in Harbin for training and rehearsals instead of returning to my home in Hebei province."
However, the time spent with her schoolmates and teachers made her feel quite warm and happy.
"We received warm gift packs from the institute, including a vacuum cup, scarf and portable medical kit," she said. "The institute also prepared a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve dinner for all the volunteers."
Starting on Nov 30, the recruitment of volunteers for the Games, which end on Friday, attracted much enthusiasm, with nearly 100,000 people signing up.
Li Yanfeng, deputy director of the human resources and volunteer service department of the Games' executive committee, said, "To select a high-quality and skilled team of volunteers, we established standards based on language proficiency, professional expertise, social experience, physical and mental qualities, and participation time, according to the needs of the event.
"Finally, we selected 5,875 volunteers, including 26 overseas students, to provide multilanguage translation services, more than 500 volunteers who have mastered skiing and skating skills, and over 2,000 volunteers with expertise in medical and health care, information technology and media services."
To improve service quality and practical capabilities, the committee organized more than 90 training sessions for the volunteers, and various universities conducted over 150 volunteer training sessions.
"During the event, the volunteers have provided high-quality and professional services, receiving full recognition from officials of the Olympic Council of Asia, delegation members and athletes," said Li. "They have embodied the spirit of volunteer service, promoted the Olympic spirit, and demonstrated a vibrant and positive spirit."
The committee also paid close attention to various aspects of volunteer support, such as transportation, meals and medical care.
"For Spring Festival, we organized activities such as writing and pasting Spring Festival couplets, making dumplings and hosting a New Year's Eve party to enrich volunteers' lives," said Li. "We established 23 volunteer stations in various venues, equipped with tables, chairs, water dispensers, chargers and other basic supplies to provide volunteers with comfortable temporary rest conditions."
The committee prepared volunteer service certificates and limited-edition commemorative badges for distribution to volunteers after the event.
"The carefully designed certificates, which are full of event elements, and a 'thank you' letter to the volunteers will be a surprise and an eternal memory for all the volunteers," he added.
Meng Shengnan, supervisor of media rental space at the Games' main media center, led her team of four volunteers to provide services to the media during the event.
"They have demonstrated good personal qualities and volunteer service capabilities, showcasing their youthful vigor to media workers," she said. "Although we had quite a busy period, I believe it will be the most unforgettable and valuable experience during their college life."
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