Tracking their future career

The first project of the center was the "virtual tour of the China-Laos railway", which features a video series in which Chinese and Laotian students at the institute share stories from their internship and introduce places of interest along the route taken by railway.

The first video of the series was released on the WeChat account Zhonglao Tielutong, or China-Laos Railway Connection. In a three-minute video, Laotian student La Thor introduces the Belt and Road Initiative and the railway project in his native language.

"The construction of the China-Laos railway is a main infrastructure project of the Belt and Road Initiative, and it will also be an economic and cultural exchange platform," he says. "The Chinese will be able to enjoy our country's beautiful scenery along the railway, and Laotian people can ship their local produce to China through the railway.

"I have experienced the convenience of the railway after coming to Shanghai to study, so I really want my countrymen to enjoy the convenience and economic benefits of the China-Laos railway. I also want my Chinese friends to come and learn more about Laos when the line is open," he adds.

Chinese student Chen Jiacong says, "This summer, we will also go to the construction sites with our Laotian classmates and interview the locals to find out their expectations for the railway. We will then share their thoughts, and the local cultures we discover, on the internet."

Besides the virtual tour, a MOOC(massive open online courses) classroom will also be launched on the institute's e-learning platform to help students in the Mekong region gain knowledge related to railway systems. Its courses will include an introduction to railway engineering, rail transportation and Shanghai's urban development, including case studies from the construction of the China-Laos railway.

Guo Qingsong, Party chief of the Shanghai Institute of Technology, says the students are goodwill ambassadors between the two countries, and that the institute will continue to provide training for the Laotian students so that they can become the trailblazers of future railroad construction efforts in Laos.