Apple wisdom

What's the secret to happiness?

"When you have an apple, just enjoy the apple."

The simple yet thoughtful answer didn't come from a philosopher, but from a primary school student.

In April, during the annual Crabapple Blossom Season Campus Open Day at Tianjin University (TJU), an interactive board was set up at the university library for an activity titled "Quick Answers to Life's Puzzles".

University students wrote down their concerns, while younger children responded with candid and unfiltered honesty.

One university student asked, "What should I do if I can't find inner joy?" A child replied, "Watch Peppa Pig."

A high school student asked, "How can I get into TJU?" — referring to admission to the prestigious university. A primary school student responded humorously: "I got in on Open Day."

The cross-generational exchange quickly went viral online, attracting more than 100,000 likes on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.

Che Yifan, a library staff member at TJU, said the team hadn't expected such widespread attention.

"The original idea was simply to create a relaxed space for people of all ages to communicate," Che explained."We hoped it would help students see their worries from a different perspective."

In a commentary shared on its official social media account, the university described the library as "the heart of the university".

"When members of the public come here with curiosity and hope, we want this heart to beat for society," the university wrote. "Culture knows no age or boundaries. It nurtures everyone equally, helping people become warmer, stronger, and more confident."