Taobao Women's Clothing: Female Teacher Devotes 10 Years to Mountain Village Primary School, Sole Teacher of the School (Picture)

Teacher Wu Hong and her students.

Reporter's Notes >

I stayed overnight at the ZhuTai Village Primary School in Yunyang County. Early in the morning, I saw 19 children following teacher Wu Hong for preschool and first grade classes.

The mountain children need her

Before going to the ZhuTai Village Primary School, I was just moved by Wu Hong's ten-year commitment in the mountains. After personally witnessing and experiencing it, I truly understood her hardships and the pride in her heart. She sincerely loves these children and has persisted on this remote mountain podium for the sake of these children.

Even though over the past decade, her salary only increased from 300 yuan to 600 yuan. She said that the children in the mountains need her, and she can't leave with peace of mind. In order to teach the children well, she also obtained a college diploma through correspondence education. She spreads knowledge in this impoverished mountain area, spreading the hope of "knowledge changing fate." The more than 100 children she has personally taught are her greatest source of pride.

All around is mountains, outside the mountains are still more mountains. Following the winding country paths, at the bottom of these mountains lies an old two-story building. The ZhuTai Village Primary School of ZhuShui Tujia Ethnic Township in Yunyang County is here. The 43-year-old teacher Wu Hong is the only teacher at this school.

She has been steadfast for ten years, teaching more than a hundred children. Wu Hong said that before, there were other teachers here, but they all left.

In the evening, I stayed in the girls' dormitory of the village primary school.

ZhuShui Tujia Ethnic Township is a national-level poor township located in the southern border of Yunyang County in the heart of the Three Gorges. On the 10th day, I took a bus from Yunyang County town, after three hours of driving into the mountains, I finally arrived at the ZhuShui Township. Local villagers pointed to the layers of mountains below: "That's ZhuTai Village, it takes two hours to walk there. Since you don't know the way, you can take a motorcycle down."

The mountain road is winding and perilous, with cliffs beside it. After about twenty minutes on the motorcycle, I finally stood in front of the village primary school. ZhuTai Village Primary School is an old two-story building, originally a small temple that was converted.

It was Sunday, and when teacher Wu and her husband Li ZhuPing saw strangers, they were quite surprised. "The kids haven't come to school yet, it's very quiet, I'm not used to it," Wu Hong smiled and said.

In the evening, I learned about Wu Hong's story: Ten years ago, because the village was short of teachers, the principal of the YunFeng Township nine-year school and the village cadres approached Wu Hong, who had a high school education, hoping she would become a substitute teacher at the ZhuTai Village Primary School. Wu Hong accepted the invitation and became a substitute teacher in the village, earning a monthly income of 300 yuan.

That night, the room where I stayed was the girls' dormitory prepared by Wu Hong for the children. There was one bed, two desks, simple furnishings, but very clean. Currently, Teacher Wu Hong only teaches 19 students, but 18 of them are left-behind children.

"Little friends, let's clean the yard together, okay?"

At seven in the morning, I was awakened by a chorus of young voices reading aloud. When I went into the classroom, the children were already neatly seated, swaying their heads as they read under Teacher Wu's direction.

When I entered the classroom, I noticed something peculiar: the children sitting on either side of the classroom were reading different books.

After listening to Wu Hong's explanation, everything became clear: This semester, only 19 children enrolled, so only preschool and first grade classes were opened. For convenience in management, Wu Hong gathered both classes into one classroom, teaching them separately. While teaching one side, the other side reads books or writes independently.

During the break, Wu Hong arranged for the children to clean the schoolyard. I picked up a broom and asked the 7-year-old boy Huang Shulin next to me: "Little friend, let's clean the yard together, okay?" It was a lively and warm scene. I leaned the broom against the wall, took out my digital camera, and the children were delighted, gathering around to look at the photos on the camera, chattering: "This is Yang Sheng, Huang Shulin is here..."

A 15-year-old girl still in the first grade

I sat in the classroom with the children, listening to Wu Hong's class. Li ZhuPing had long been in the kitchen preparing lunch for the children.

At noon after school, after Wu Hong handed out rice to the children, she started preparing food for her own family. Four boarding schoolchildren ate together with Wu Hong and her husband. Li ZhuPing said that although the children ate with them, they never charged money. At the end of each year, the children's parents would send dozens of pounds of rice, sometimes even a piece of cured pork.

Before sleeping at night, four boarding children sat in a row washing their feet. I squatted down and asked: "Would you like if the teacher and auntie wash your feet?"

The children didn't speak, but turned their heads to look at Wu Hong. Wu Hong smiled and told the children: "The teacher and Aunt Chen will wash your feet together, okay?"

Among the children washing their feet was a girl named Yang Li. Although she was already 15 years old, she was still in the first grade. Wu Hong quietly told me Yang Li's story.

Yang Li was born with a disability, due to the atrophy of her calf muscles, unable to stand and walk, she never attended school. In early 2006, Wu Hong walked several kilometers of mountain roads to find Yang Li's home. "Do you want to go to school?" Wu Hong asked her. "Of course, I do!" From then on, every Sunday, Wu Hong would go to Yang Li's home to give her lessons. After nearly four years of basic education, Yang Li was finally able to officially start school in the first grade.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I vaguely heard some noise, got up, and realized that Wu Hong was covering the children with blankets - these children kicked off their blankets while sleeping. (Editor: SN026)