In remote Beihong village, classes may be small but impact on students is enormous

In the past 13 years, Wang Zhonglei has taught 42 students at the Hope Primary School in Beihong village in China's northernmost city of Mohe in Heilongjiang province.

That might be a small number for most teachers, but Wang has been working hard to make sure that none of the village children drop out of school.

The 35-year-old became a teacher after graduating from the Qiqihar Teachers College in 2009.

The small, remote settlement of Beihong where he teaches is about 130 kilometers from downtown Mohe, and is home to around 350 residents.

Located on the Heilong River, the third longest river in China and the longest border waterway in the world, Beihong is on the border with Russia. Mohe is the coldest city in China and registered a record low temperature of -52.3 C in 1956.

As a physical education graduate, Wang had several offers of employment, including becoming the coach of a roller skating club, a PE teacher at a secondary technical school, and a rural teacher in Beihong.

"I was born on a forestry farm in the Greater Hinggan Mountains and I got a good education and help from my teachers," he said, "so, I chose to be a teacher like them."

As he had grown up in the countryside, Wang felt that he would quickly adapt to teaching in a rural setting.

Still, it took him nearly seven hours to get from Mohe to Beihong when he traveled to the village in Dec 2009 for the first time.

"I was a little nervous on the pickup truck as it drove along a snow-covered gravel road," he said. "We had to get out to clean the snow away from the road or push the truck when it got stuck."

When he finally arrived in the village that night, he was unable to call his parents to say that he'd arrived safely due to a sudden power cut, which affected the cellphone signals.

"I was regretting my decision a bit and wondered whether I would be able to keep working in a village I didn't know anything about," he said. "But, when I opened my door the next morning, there were four children waiting outside with food for me."

Over the next few days, the villagers invited him to dine in their homes and helped him get things done.

"They were also concerned about how long I would stay in the village," he said. "I felt really welcomed and a strong responsibility to do my best."

Until 2012, the village only got three hours of electricity a day.

"I had to take advantage of those three hours to watch teaching tutorials by well-known, experienced teachers," he said. "I also bought a rechargeable desk lamp, which I used during courses when the power was off."

"There were never more than 15 students and at times, there were as few as four," he said.

"However, I kept working to understand and address their individual needs and make use of new teaching methods."

Initially teaching PE, Chinese and math, Wang also began to teach additional courses, including moral education and calligraphy, and later extended school hours during the farming season to help parents by taking care of their children at school.

"I noticed that the students were very interested in what was happening outside the village," he said. "To allow them to learn about the country and the wider world, I made a library in an empty classroom with donated books."

Over the years, Wang has won many honors, including being named a National Excellent Teacher, a Provincial Labor Model and receiving the China Youth May 4 Medal, the highest honor awarded to young people.

"It is hard sometimes and there is still a long way to go, but I do not regret my decision," he said. "I will keep teaching my students as it makes me happy, especially when I see their futures becoming brighter thanks to a good education."