Painted manhole covers by students attract attention

A manhole cover painted in the theme of the third solar term, the Waking of Insects. Photos by Xu Zaijie

Painted manhole covers located on the east side of Xiangmihu Road in Futian District have attracted the public’s attention, Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

The manhole covers, each with a design of a different solar term, were painted by students from Futian City Craftsman School.

So far, the students with the school have finished several manhole covers with solar terms, including the Waking of Insects (the third solar term), the Spring Equinox (the fourth solar term) and Grain Buds (the eighth solar term).

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms.

The painting project is said to be part of an improvement project of the city’s landscape.

Jie Rui, who is in charge of the brand promotion team at the Futian City Craftsman School, said that the idea to include solar terms in manhole cover design is because they want to add some traditional cultural elements into the landscape improvement project.

He also hoped that the paintings would make manhole covers shine, providing the city with more beautiful items.

“Citizens are very supportive of our work, which gives us more confidence to create better works so as to contribute to the city’s development,” said Jie.

Futian City Craftsman School was established in September last year. The school aims to cultivate craftsmen for the city with knowledge, skills and innovative spirits, according to the report.