Yifei Xu

About

Yifei Xu is a visual designer with a background in visual communication design, dedicated to studying people in society.

Yifei’s project addresses a growing issue of social equity in Chinese higher education: how social capital influences students’ access to financial aid and educational resources. Although bursaries are designed to support economically disadvantaged students, the current system—due to opaque recommendation processes and the embedded influence of personal networks—often excludes those who need help most, leading to hidden inequalities in resource allocation.

Yifei envisions a preferable future. By 2032, Chinese universities will adopt a “Transparent Bursary Distribution System”, overseen by the Ministry of Education. The system connects with medical, social security, and financial databases. Students submit applications through a unified online portal, where evidence is verified and ranked via a multidimensional needs-based algorithm. Recommendation letters and informal networks are eliminated. All procedures are trackable and include a clear appeals mechanism, ensuring fairness and accountability.

The proposal is currently piloted in two universities, with active participation from students, tutors, and administrators. At its core, the project uses design interventions to restructure systemic inequality, challenging the entrenched culture of guanxi (social connections) and shifting towards a needs-based, transparent distribution model. Looking forward, this system could be scaled nationwide, enhancing institutional credibility and advancing a more equitable and sustainable educational landscape by 2035.