In downtown Heyuan, a junior middle school is about to be completed, providing 3,000 slots for local students in the city. The school is mainly funded by the Shenzhen Municipal Government with support from one of Shenzhen’s best schools: Shenzhen Middle School.
Although the school, named Shenhe Middle School, is still in the final stage of construction, it is expected to become a modern campus with some of the best facilities. Covering an area of 48,000 square meters, the school has three teaching buildings, one laboratory building, a grand auditorium and comprehensive sports facilities.
“The total investment for the school was 135 million yuan (US$21 million), with 100 million yuan from Shenzhen and the rest paid by the local government,” said Gai Fengzi, director of the Shenzhen office aiding Heyuan’s livelihood.
Upon completion, the school will enroll 3,000 students to study from grades 7 to 10 this fall. The project is part of Shenzhen’s aid work to improve education in Heyuan.
According to Gai, Shenzhen Middle School will fully support the new school by appointing one of its school leaders as the Heyuan school’s principle and sharing educational resources.
“The project was initiated Feb. 18, last year, and the main buildings have already been capped and decorated,” said Gai. Currently, the construction teams are working on the school’s outdoor facilities.
Residential buildings around the school have already put up promotional slogans, such as “school district housing”, to attract residents to buy or rent homes there. Since the school will be public, students will be enrolled if their homes are within the school district.
“In helping build a school here, the Shenzhen government hopes to assist the local government in providing more slots for students,” said Gai.
Besides the school, another major project funded by Shenzhen to enhance the livelihood of Heyuan residents is the construction of a hospital there. After years of preparation, the project started last year. It is expected that the hospital, named Shenhe People’s Hospital, will be completed by the end of 2020.
The Shenzhen Municipal Government will pay a total of 1.6 billion yuan to build the hospital and purchase advanced medical equipment. It is by far the largest sum Shenzhen has paid to aid another city, according to Gai.
The hospital plans to have 800 beds in the inpatient building, and will focus on developing tumor, pediatric, neurosurgery, and cardiovascular disease departments.
The hospital is located in Jiangdong New Area, close to Heyuan East Railway Station where the Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Rail will pass. It is also adjacent to major exits off Yuegan (Guangdong-Jiangxi) Expressway.
