Feature | Under Tongji Bridge, a group of elementary school students are making money with AI

“Big brother and sister, please take a look at our fridge magnets!” On the Lantern Festival, March 3rd, Foshan’s “Xingtongji” was bustling with people. Amid the lively atmosphere of celebrating the Lantern Festival, citizens set up small stalls along the street.

Not far below Tongji Bridge, sixth-grade student Tan Kaiyan from Foshan Guiyuan Elementary School was actively calling out to passersby, accompanied by a group of childhood friends. Although their calls were a bit shy, they persisted, and their business was quite good for the morning.

Tan Kaiyan and her friends’ stall.

On the fridge magnets, fresh green lettuce with the words “Xingtongji, No Obstructions” are printed, and the iconic gate of Tongji Bridge is connected to this lettuce, blending Foshan’s folk customs with a symbol of good wishes for “prosperity.”

For each fridge magnet sold, the children would sweetly send a blessing: “Wishing you good health and a prosperous Year of the Horse!”

If a customer compliments, “This fridge magnet is really beautiful!” Tan Kaiyan and her friends are likely to come over and say, “We designed it ourselves!”

The children’s design journey can be traced back to previous years’ “Xingtongji.”

Yue Ningjun, Tan Kaiyan’s mother, used to see cultural and creative products sold on the street when she took her children to “Xingtongji,” but she often felt they weren’t quite right, which sparked the idea of designing and making her own cultural products.

She shared this idea with her daughter, who was still in elementary school. But how can someone with no experience design a creative cultural product?

Under her mother’s guidance, the children started interacting with AI.

Last summer, Tan Kaiyan and others began designing cultural products using Doubao. “The kids combined Foshan’s ‘Xingtongji’ features to give instructions to Doubao. At first, none of us were very good at using AI, but we worked hard to communicate with Doubao, adjusting colors and designs. After many versions, we actually created what we wanted.”

Tan Kaiyan and her friends’ fridge magnets designed with Doubao.

Once the design was finalized, the next step was to find a manufacturer. Yue Ningjun handed her phone to her daughter, letting her and her friends communicate with the factory owner about pricing and sizes. They held many meetings, with the children participating almost throughout.

The small stall was set up after days of effort—Tan Kaiyan and her friends carried small stools and stayed up late, drawing lots to get the spot. The logo on the stall was also designed with Doubao’s help.

Before setting up, the children discussed asking their teachers for leave, and they received strong support. Yue Ningjun also posted on Xiaohongshu about “The Most Satisfied ‘Xingtongji No Obstructions’ Fridge Magnet,” which has nearly 20,000 views, and some people even came specifically to support their business.

Recently, Foshan experienced continuous rain and a sudden drop in temperature. On the night of March 2nd, the tent on their stall was blown away by strong wind, so the children hurriedly picked up their products and went to sell at the main entrance of Tongji Bridge.

On the morning of March 3rd, the children received their first batch of 300 fridge magnets, and dozens have already been sold.

Tan Kaiyan feels that participating in such activities really helps build confidence and makes her more outgoing. However, her mother Yue Ningjun believes, “Whether in life or work, I think children need to keep up with the times.”

Reporting/Photography: Southern + Reporter Wang Beibei

【Author】 Wang Beibei

【Source】 Southern Media Group Southern+ App