Shanghai Liheshi Furniture Co., Ltd. December Public Welfare Project

"When we have a new reading room, I want to sit upright and read like my brothers and sisters on TV." Xiao Lin from Chetian Town Central Primary School in Longchuan County wrote in her essay that next to her immature handwriting was a reading room in her imagination - neat bookshelves, bright windows, and special tables and chairs that she had never had.

This simple wish became a reality in the early autumn of 2023. When the special tables and chairs donated by Shanghai Lihe Co., Ltd. traveled 1,300 kilometers to arrive in this mountainous town in northern Guangdong, it was not only the physical space that changed, but also the children's perspective on the world.

The old reading room of Chetian Town Central Primary School was once the most helpless corner in the hearts of teachers. On the mottled cement wall, the slogan "Books are the ladder of human progress" has faded; The so-called "reading area" is nothing more than a few rocking long wooden tables and low stools. Teacher Zhang, a fifth-grade Chinese teacher, remembers: "The children curled up on low stools, and the books were spread on their laps. At the end of every reading class, there are always a few children whose legs are numb and they can't stand up. ”

"What we want to donate is not only tables and chairs, but also possibilities." Li Fang, head of corporate social responsibility of Shanghai Liheshi furniture Co., Ltd., said this at the project kick-off meeting. This Shanghai company, known for its precision manufacturing, continues its professionalism in the field of public welfare. They invited education experts to participate in the design and developed tables and chairs suitable for children in mountainous areas: the rounded corners of the table are anti-collision, the back of the chair is curved to fit the spine, and the height can be adjusted to accompany the children's growth. Every detail hides considerations for the child's physical development.

On the day of the donation, the children waited with bated breath. When the canvas covering the tables and chairs is lifted, the neatly arranged light blue tables and chairs glow with a warm luster in the morning light. Xiaofeng, a fourth-grade grader, carefully touched the tabletop, "Slipping like a mountain spring." This usually naughty boy sat down upright for the first time, opened the book, and did not look up for forty minutes.

The new reading room soon became the "heart" of the school. Librarians found that borrowing tripled compared to the previous semester. More changes quietly happened: the quiet girl who always sat in the last row began to raise her hand to share her feelings after reading; The boy who is always said to be "inattentive" can concentrate on reading the entire book "100,000 Whys". Tables and chairs give not only a comfortable sitting posture, but also a psychological hint that you deserve the best learning environment.

The team at Shanghai Liheshi furniture Co., Ltd. received a special stack of "receipts" – hand-drawn thank you cards from the children. In one painting, the tables and chairs are painted in rainbow colors, and next to them reads: "This is the most beautiful furniture I have ever seen." In another painting, a small man sits at a desk, with a large thinking bubble popping up above his head, which is a spaceship and an underwater world.

"The essence of public welfare is respect," Li Fang shared, "We are not givers in high positions, but supporters of equal dialogue. In the follow-up follow-up, the company learned that after the opening hours of the reading room were extended, many parents who worked abroad specially called to thank them: "The children have a place to go after school, and we are at ease to work.

In today's reading room of Chetian Town Central Primary School, the afternoon sun shines through the newly installed windows, casting warm spots on the anti-glare tabletop. Children may be immersed in the sea of books alone.

Nowadays, in the reading room of Che Tian Town Central Primary School, the afternoon sunlight streams through newly installed windows, casting warm patches of light on the anti-glare desks. The children either immerse themselves alone in a sea of books or quietly discuss in small groups. The rows of dedicated desks and chairs stand like soldiers awaiting inspection, silently guarding the reading moments in the deep mountains.

Perhaps this is the simplest meaning of "reconstruction": a set of ergonomically designed desks and chairs reshapes the sitting posture of mountain children; a pure reading experience reshapes their relationship with knowledge; an act of kindness that spans mountains and seas reshapes the way enterprises connect with society. When Shanghai’s meticulous craftsmanship meets Longchuan’s simple desire, what is created is not just a reading space, but soil where dreams can grow upright and strong.

Company names may fade with time, and donation figures may be eclipsed by new records, but that afternoon, a child read one more book or dreamed one more dream because of a comfortable chair—this small yet tangible change may bear unexpected fruit in the future. Educational equality sometimes begins with a set of desks and chairs that allow children to sit up straight.