Stamps collected by the mother of Liu Haoran, an undergraduate majoring in chemistry, are among the 100 exhibits. [Photo provided to China Daily]

More than 100 students shared their family stories at an exhibition at Shanghai Jiao Tong University that celebrates the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

Wang Yan, dean of the School of Marxism at the university, says that the exhibition aims to foster a greater recognition of socialism with Chinese characteristics and encourage students to contribute to the future development of the country.

The exhibition at the university's Qian Xuesen Library and Museum ended on Dec 31. It features works based on students' communication with their family members about the times before the reform and how the opening-up initiatives have transformed the country.

Exhibits include photos of families, hometowns, stamp collections and memoirs.

Yang Hongbo, an undergraduate majoring in electronic information, explains his work at the exhibition: "My grandfather showed me a congratulatory letter he was awarded with when he was an aeronautical doctor at the Lanzhou Military Area Command in northwestern China.

"During a military exercise, smoke suddenly appeared in the cabin of a plane after it landed. Only my grandpa noticed the situation immediately. He ran toward the plane, boarded it and dragged the pilot out.

"A piece of debris from the plane's explosion left a scar on my grandpa's face, and he called it badge of honor. I am proud of him and will grow up to be a man like him, devoted to the country and its people."

Cao Hong from Zhiyuan College also shares a story about his father's generation in his hometown of Zixi in Fujian province.

"Before the reform and opening-up, the village mainly relied on growing rice, vegetables and green tea at the foot of the Dagu Mountain," he says.

"Farmers had to take a long journey through the rugged landscape of steep, rocky hills and winding roads in the mountains to sell their produce in the county center.

Cao Hong from Zhiyuan College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University talks about changes he and his father have witnessed in his hometown, Zixi, in Fujian province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Now, highways have been built to link the downtown to the suburbs, and tea-processing plants have been built in the village so that buyers from across the country can come to purchase the products regularly."

Liu Haoran, an undergraduate majoring in chemistry, says his mother often tells him about the stories behind the stamps she has kept for decades.

"It includes various types of stamps, such as anniversaries of the founding of the People's Republic of China and special ones decorated with theatrical masks, Chinese zodiac animals and horses," says Liu.

"They present the history and civilization of China since the reform and opening-up, and I am impressed by the country's development and its culture."