University responds to graduate's criticism of Jiayuguan conditions

A Wuhan University graduate recently became a hot topic after posting online about the poor conditions of Jiayuguan, Gansu province. In response, the university stated that she does not represent all of its students, and it feels sorry for the negative impact that her words might have on the city's image, according to Jimu News on Thursday.

The graduate, surnamed Gu, was enrolled in a talent selection program to work for the Jiayuguan government in 2023.

The program selects promising graduates and assigns them to be employed within municipal departments. According to the requirements, such selected students will undergo a one-year probation period, after which they will be evaluated. Those who do not pass their evaluation will have their employment qualifications revoked.

Amid job uncertainties and an increasing number of college graduates, there has been intense competition among college graduates to be selected by the program and work as entry-level government officials, a career path many consider to have a promising future.

Gu was apparently unsatisfied with her assignment. Screenshots of her post, which went viral, showed her calling Jiayuguan a small, outdated county in the Gobi Desert and claiming to feel trapped.

She claimed to have had nine job offers that she preferred. However, her mother called her dozens of times every day, insisting she take the program offer because a stable job is the most important thing for young women.

Gu said she had sold and betrayed her freedom and soul.

Her post was met with fierce online criticism on Thursday, and it became one of the trending topics on the social media platform Sina Weibo.

Netizens said her post reflects selfishness and narrow-mindedness. "If you do not want to go there, just don't. There is no point bad-mouthing a city," one post said.

An official with the Wuhan University student employment guidance and service center told Jimu News that more than 3,000 of its graduates have worked as government officials in remote and grassroots areas in central and western regions under the talent selection programs and that Gu's words don't represent all of its students or their determination to contribute to the regions.

"Life is a long journey, and we hope the student can grow from the incident and become more responsible," the official said.

The media outlet thepaper.cn reported that the graduate resigned from her post in April and that the local government approved her resignation.