Students to help turn Chinese town into tourist destination

The final-year masters students from Sheffield University have travelled to the Northern Chinese town of Guangfu – the birthplace of Tai Chi – to support a major development project.

There are plans to transform Guangfu into a tourist destination with a range of guest homes, restaurants, cafes and museums.

The students headed out on Saturday and will spend this week in Guangfu gathering research which will form the basis of a project when they return. Satwinder Samra, from the University’s School of Architecture, said: “We are developing new relationships between practice, academia and industry. The research trip to China is an excellent opportunity for students to work on live projects with real clients, providing them with invaluable experience for their future careers. Students will study the town, exploring the physical, material and economic factors.”