Some members of the capital's massive population of rural residents will be able to get pointers on surviving in the city and assimilating to urban life, thanks to students from Renmin University of China.

The students, who are offering courses on how country folk can learn to become city slickers, are from the university's School of Sociology and Population Studies.

Feng Qina, a postgraduate student of sociology who is in charge of the courses, told METRO that moving to the city can be a great challenge for some rural residents, especially those who are elderly.

"If this abrupt change is not handled properly, it may cause some problems between them and their neighbors," Feng said.

Among other things, the rural residents will be told that growing vegetables and raising chickens are things that are likely to annoy their urban neighbors. The first people to benefit from the course are residents from four villages in Jinzhan county. The villages are slated for demolition and the residents will be relocated to new neighborhoods in the city.

"The phenomenon of using common green areas to grow vegetables and raise domestic livestock as well as learning not to leave private things in public areas, such as corridors, can become issues in these neighborhoods. So we are trying to let them know in advance," said Liu Bo, a committee member who is in charge of Magezhuang village's organizational work.

The courses are divided into four sessions that focus on physical and cultural aspects. They aim to cultivate the villagers' values and awareness of environmental protection, among other things.

The first sessions were held in the activity center at Magezhuang village on July 25 and more than 60 villagers took part. The second classes in the course are set for the middle of October.

Through lectures, free discussions and videos, they learned about public order, welfare, security and social communication skills.

A woman from Magezhuang surnamed Wang said the information was valuable.

"These courses came just in time," she said. "I used to worry about life in the city. Now, I think I'm better prepared. I'll tell my family and neighbors to attend the next sessions because they are very useful."

Another woman, a 58-year-old surnamed Zhang, told Beijing Daily on Tuesday that, instead of worrying, she is now looking forward to becoming an urban dweller.

"My cousin lives in a community in the Laiguangying area," she said. "She practices taichi with her neighbors at 5 am every day and goes dancing in the community garden at night. I envy her urban retirement life."

(China Daily September 30, 2010)