More than 100 students shared their family stories at an ongoing 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, said 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, which takes place at the university's Qian Xuesen Library and Museum, will end on Dec 31. It features works based on students' communication with their family members about the times before the reform took place and how the opening up initiatives have transformed the country.

Exhibits include photos of family members, hometowns, stamp collections and family memoirs.

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

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

"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 who devoted himself to the country and its people."

Cao Hong from Zhiyuan College also shared 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. 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," said Cao.

"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, said his mother often tells him about the stories behind the stamps she has kept for decades.

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

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