Chinese companies often apply for famous trademark registration to enjoy better protection or preferential policies. In Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region a public primary school registered a famous trademark and became the first of its kind in the region's education sector.

Binhu Primary School, in the autonomous region's capital city Nanning, owns the trademark "A Place Where Dreams Begin". It was registered in 2008 and was granted famous trademark status by the region's administration for industry and commerce in December last year, Modern Life Daily reported.

The phrase was used as a slogan for the school since it was founded in 2004.

One mother, who has a son in the school's third grade, told the newspaper that the slogan was very familiar to the students and parents, and being granted famous trademark status had no major impact.

In the eyes of Wang Jin, the school's headmistress, the phrase has a more profound meaning.

Wang, who was appointed her position before the school was established, said she was full of "romanticism and idealism". She said she had always wanted to nurture the school with a special spirit and culture.

"I chose the slogan instead of the school name to register as its trademark, because I want the school to be different and express its individuality," Wang told Modern Life Daily.

"We want to use this romantic phrase to express the understanding and pursuit of the education industry by teachers and other educators," she said.

The school formulated a series of regulations on use, protection and management of the trademark and widely uses it for school publications as well as festival celebrations, promotion activities and building up school culture and spirit.

A pond was built on the school campus and was named Mengyuan, or Dream Source, to reflect its shape of the Chinese character for "dream".

Wang said the special trademark status helped the school increase its reputation and brought added value.

She said it was not something that could be measured by economic benefits, but was a kind of publicity for education and teaching.

It could also support the development of the school in the future, she said. "Higher reputation also means bigger social responsibility," she added.

To balance the region's educational resources, the school started a long-term initiative last year to help nine primary schools in old revolutionary areas nearby that lack human resources, educational software and facilities.

The school donated computers, teaching equipment and books to the schools last year.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/25/2015 page17)