“Okay, sure. I’ll think it over again.”
On June 29th at 10:00 a.m., Professor Xie Xin was talking to his family on the phone while watching as the house selection process unfolded live on the projection screen in 301 meeting room, the Administration Building on the Campus. This is the day of the first-round of Hainshire house selection. The waiting area where Professor Xie was watching has been in full swing since the morning.
Hainshire is a commercial housing complex built to attract talents and provide residence to current faculty and staff, with the aim of supporting the development of the International Campus in line with the ZJU–Haining City cooperative agreement. The name Hainshire, which comes from the lyrics of ZJU anthem “The vast sea contains all streams, all rivers; Great learning connects Heaven and Earth”, conveys the idea of gathering talents from all over the world. The construction of Hainshire started in December 2019 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 with 440 for sale and 452 for rent.
(The Architechtual Scale Model of Hainshire)
Providing for the talents’ well-being
Professor Xie Xin is currently an associate professor in ZJE, having worked at IC since 2018. “As the saying goes, living in peace and work with joy!” As a member of Hainshire Project Quality Supervision Commission, Professor Xie is very satisfied with IC’s preparation for Hainshire housing application and purchasing. “I can feel that IC is concerned about people’s housing issues. The house choosing process was well-organized and highly efficient, and the whole process was transparent. Everyone here is very happy today”.
In April this year, IC established the House Working Group to promote the orderly processing of housing application and purchase. Authorized by ZJU and approved by IC Faculty Congress, the Regulations on Application for Purchasing Talents’ Commodity Housing (Hainshire) have come into force. After application, qualification verification and the public announcement, the first batch of faculty and staff to qualify for purchasing Hainshire residences was determined.
At 10:35 a.m., Professor Xie came out of the house selection area and went through the follow-up procedures with a smile. “Finally, I chose the house on the top floor with a terrace which is what I wanted. We can plant a small garden in the sky, where my kids can play.” Professor Xie is very much looking forward to his first house purchase since returning to China.
Building a high-quality international talent community
Hainshire is being built in a neoclassical British architectural style, consistent with the style of the International Campus itself. The real estate developer, construction units and property management unit adhere to high standards and strive to build a high-quality international talent community.
Professor Guo Wei, a tenure associate professor in ZJE, came and chose his house together with his wife. They chose a house with 4 bedrooms and 2 living rooms, which meets the needs of the couple and their kids. “I think our school has done a lot, with much forward planning, including parking spaces and so on. We do not need to worry at all. Overall, we feel pretty good!”
Professor Li Chushan, an associate professor in ZJUI, along with many of his colleagues, chose units in the same building. He mentioned that after the completion of Hainshire, they will be both colleagues and neighbors, which will definitely enhance their communication, especially in-depth interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary exchanges.
Attracting and retaining talents
Another assistant professor in ZJE, Zhang Qianting, talked about how she felt after choosing a house. “I feel that IC is very modern and vibrant. There are many innovations, which gives me a great space to be more creative.”
（Hainshire under the construction）
Since its establishment IC has brought in a lot of foreign and domestic high-end talents with world-class university standards. The construction of Hainshire aims to provide better support to attract and retain talents. To give foreign and domestic talents a better understanding of Hainshire, as well as the application regulations and process, IC has set up an online orientation meeting to give a brief introduction to foreign talents.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Wee-Liat Ong, a Singaporean associate professor in ZJUI cannot as yet return to IC. The Institute arranged for an intermediary to communicate his intentions, and finally assisted him to choose his preferred house.
Another Singaporean professor, Shao Fangwei, participated in the on-site house selection process. So she could bring her parents over to live with her, she chose a house on the ground floor. “So exciting!” She was thrilled to choose her dream house. “I feel that this moment adds a sense of belonging to ZJU. I sincerely hope that I can meet IC’s tenure standards to work in IC for a long time.”