Students shocked by school's appliance ban

Southwest University for Nationalities makes a public display of confiscated rice cookers and other appliances on its campus in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Nov 5, 2014. [Photo/Sina Weibo]

The public display of confiscated electrical appliances at the Southwest University for Nationalities in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, has created a stir on the Internet.

Many Chinese universities ban the use of high-voltage appliances, such as electric cookers or heaters, because of fire safety concerns. Inspections are often carried out during winter when students are more likely to use these products to fight off the winter chill.

While some say the university's is right to protect students' safety on campus, other Internet users complain that the university has violated the students' rights by taking away their private property. Students have urged the university to improve their accommodation, claiming that college life without electric appliances is incomplete.