It's not an iron rice bowl, but it's free.

A university in southern China has said that it will offer free rice to students who eat on campus. Xiamen University, located in a seaport across the strait from Taiwan, said that the policy would cover 36,000 students, the Southeast Express News reported on Thursday.

This was the latest step the school has taken to help students with the cost of living in the prosperous city. The university said that the cost of the rice wouldn't show up in other dishes and it would carefully choose rice suppliers to ensure quality.

The policy covers all registered undergraduate and graduate students, who can save 1 yuan (0.14 cent) each per day. The rice must be eaten in the cafeterias, not taken out.

Urban living costs are soaring, and the national consumer price index was 8.7 percent in February, an 11-year high. The Ministry of Education has asked local education authorities and universities to keep prices stable and subsidize students, particularly those from low-income families.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2008)