This June, Lupu Village in Ningbo’s Xianxiang Town hosted a unique exhibition. Beneath a bamboo pavilion, poster boards lined up as crowds gathered. The showcase featured design proposals developed by postgraduate students from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) for the village’s future revitalisation — the result of months of fieldwork and research. 

The event featured speeches from Yun Jiang, Party Secretary of Xianxiang Town, and Professor Bo Li, Party Secretary of UNNC’s Faculty of Science and Engineering. Village representatives also shared their perspectives on industry, culture, and rural operations.

A Real-World Classroom

Why Lupu Village? The Sustainable Urbanism Project module, part of the MSc Urbanism and Sustainable Environments programme, emphasises project-based learning. Since September 2025, Professor Jing Xie (module convenor), Dr Yina Sima, and their teaching team have led over 60 students on field trips to Lupu to interview residents, survey spaces, and trace the village’s history.

From Campus to Village

In March 2026, students’ design proposals were displayed on campus under the title “Future Village: Reclaiming the Urban-Rural Continuum.” Ten student proposals were exhibited at the UNNC Library, with both online and offline voting. A subsequent symposium saw each team present their designs to a panel of academics, officials, and village representatives.

The proposals covered a wide spectrum: from building on local aquaculture and using creativity to revitalise space, to exploring the low‑altitude economy and smart fisheries. Among the ten visions, “Traffic or Retention?” won the Best Academic Award for its analysis of population mobility. “Lupu All Seasons” received the Best Practice Award for its year‑round activation plan. “Four Seasons, Five Senses: Return to Lupu” earned the Most Popular Award for its sensory‑based spatial design and detailed physical model.

 Tao Qin, Vice President of the Yinzhou District Internet Association and a village representative, commented: “The students’ work not only shows academic depth but also a genuine understanding of rural value.”

The exhibition "Future Village: Reclaiming the Urban-Rural Continuum" was curated by Feiyue Chen, Teaching Fellow in Architectural Design, who led a team of students in its completion. Student Zichen Huang highlighted the value of involving villagers in the design process: “We wanted villagers to express their views on Lupu’s current state and their hopes for its future.”

Global Perspectives, Local Impact

Professor Jing Xie noted that this collaboration marked a deliberate shift from focusing on large cities to engaging with nearby villages. “Globalisation and localisation are not opposites,” he said. “Lupu adds a new dimension to our urbanism programme, showing that rural and urban are not binary opposites but part of a continuum.”

The project embodies UNNC’s commitment to education that equips students with the ability to solve real‑world problems. By connecting the classroom to the countryside, UNNC is enriching student learning while contributing to regional development.