If you are given only 1 yuan, could you live in a city for one day? It seems this may be a little difficult. But students from Xi'an did it.
On April 10, more than 60 students from a middle school took part in the One Yuan Metropolis Survival(城市生存). Students not only have to live, but they also have to deal with a lot of hard tasks in this charitable(慈善的) activity. It has happened in eight cities and is going to four others, including Beijing, in May.
To make money, many students looked for part-time jobs and saw how hard life was. Zhang Qiyue, 14, asked more than 10 restaurants for a job and finally got one chance. "We were upset when they said no. But gradually, we got used to it," he said. After being a waiter for an hour, he got 25 yuan.
Some made use of their talents by singing and dancing in parks or shopping malls. Many people who walked by took notice and helped them. Zhao Jiacheng, 14, drew pictures and made paper crafts (手工). "This showed it's important to learn a special skill," he said.
Living was hard, but finishing the tasks wasn't any easier. They went to different places to finish tasks in a short time. The most amazing one was when they had to exchange things worth thousands of yuan with only a piece of paper in half an hour. "We learned how to persuade others. From a balloon to a cake to a bottle of yogurt … after almost 20 tries, we got an expensive necklace," he said. They will give all of the money they made to poor schools in Tibet.
