?? “I grew up in the village and I know what it feels like to have no chance of getting an education, so I just want to make my own small contribution to giving children a better tomorrow.” ??? Wang Yuanyuan ????WHEN they first sent him to military school in 1990, his parents thought Wu Daojiang, born in 1978, had finally escaped a life of poverty in their rural village. ????However, less than seven years later, Wu, by then an commissioned officer, chose to return home to dedicate his career to helping the children in his home village. ????With 4,000 yuan (US$635) of his savings, Wu founded a primary school “in a cave” in Goudiaoyan Village, Dafang County, Guizhou Province. ????“I grew up in the village and I know what it feels like to have no chance of getting an education, so I just wanted to make my own small contribution to giving children a better tomorrow,” he said.???? ????Building the school ????When Wu visited his home in 1995, he found that most of the children in the village had not gone to school. “The village is deep in the Guizhou mountains, far away from any town, and the population is small, so there had never been a school there before. The nearest one is about 5 kilometers away,” he said. ????“There were about 50 children in the village, and only five were studying at the nearest school. The rest were too poor and had to stay at home to help on the farm,” he said. ????Wu used to be like those children but learned about the importance of education after joining the army. “I am a lucky person because I finally got the chance in the army, but those who did not could be poor forever and never get the chance to change their future,” he said. ????“When I told them in 1997 that I wanted to spend 4,000 yuan on building a school here, nobody believed me because they had never seen such a large amount of money and could not believe somebody would want to give it away,” said Wu. ????The villagers were initially skeptical, but were eventually won over by Wu’s sincerity and warmth. ????They found a cave at the foot of the mountain and made it into a simple classroom. And all the chairs and desks were made by him with wood he had bought from the nearby township. ????He hired a teacher to teach the students for 35 yuan a month and bought textbooks from the city.???? ????Running the school ????“The hardest part was not building the school but persuading villagers to send their children there,” said Wu. ????Many villagers did not want their children to go to school, even though it was free. “Many parents thought it was a waste of time because they would not have money to send them to high school or university and there was much farming work to be done anyway,” said Wu. ????For more than six months, Wu canvassed the neighboring villages to persuade families to give their children the opportunity. ????“Originally, I did not plan to make the school free. But meeting with the families persuaded me to cover all the costs myself because giving the children an education was more important than me having a better life,” said Wu. ????Weimin Primary School finally opened Sept. 10, 1997 and more than 40 children from the rural villages began their school life. ????“Nothing feels better when you see their eyes in class. Unlike spoilt city children, they are all happy to be there and eager to learn as much as possible,” said Wu. ????Zheng Fuhua, a teacher at the school, expressed his admiration for Wu. “I admire him and want to be like him, so when I graduated from junior high school in the township, I did not go to work in big cities like many of my classmates. I chose to teach at the school to help more children realize their dreams,” said Zheng.????? ????Hardship ????Over the past 14 years, Wu had spent more than 100,000 yuan on the school. Apart from living necessities, he had never bought anything for himself. ????Wu is still single at age 33. ????“Few girls want to marry a man who lives like me,” he said. ????Once he had a long-term relationship with a girl who was generally supportive for his charity work. But once when Wu went shopping with her and she wanted him to buy her a 300-yuan coat, he was unable to afford it. “I bargained with the saleswoman, but she laughed at me. After walking out of the department store, my girlfriend asked me whether I wanted her or the children and I did not answer, so she left,” he said. ????Wu, however, has never regretted what he has done. “I want a woman who can help the children with me. If they cannot understand that, I’d rather stay single,” he said. ????The school continues to grow thanks to Wu’s effort. “The county and township governments know about the school and send teachers to help. Some companies and my former fellow soldiers in the army also donate money to the school,” he said. ????Wu’s biggest wish now is for one of the school’s alumni to get to university. “Most of them start working after graduating from junior high school. But if an alumnus wants to continue studying, I will try my best to pay his or her tuition fees. It will be a proud day for the village if such a dream cames true,” he said. ?? ?Wang Yuanyuan ????WHEN they first sent him to military school in 1990, his parents thought Wu Daojiang, born in 1978, had finally escaped a life of poverty in their rural village. ????However, less than seven years later, Wu, by then an commissioned officer, chose to return home to dedicate his career to helping the children in his home village. ????With 4,000 yuan (US$635) of his savings, Wu founded a primary school “in a cave” in Goudiaoyan Village, Dafang County, Guizhou Province. ????“I grew up in the village and I know what it feels like to have no chance of getting an education, so I just wanted to make my own small contribution to giving children a better tomorrow,” he said.????? ????Building the school ????When Wu visited his home in 1995, he found that most of the children in the village had not gone to school. “The village is deep in the Guizhou mountains, far away from any town, and the population is small, so there had never been a school there before. The nearest one is about 5 kilometers away,” he said. ????“There were about 50 children in the village, and only five were studying at the nearest school. The rest were too poor and had to stay at home to help on the farm,” he said. ????Wu used to be like those children but learned about the importance of education after joining the army. “I am a lucky person because I finally got the chance in the army, but those who did not could be poor forever and never get the chance to change their future,” he said. ????“When I told them in 1997 that I wanted to spend 4,000 yuan on building a school here, nobody believed me because they had never seen such a large amount of money and could not believe somebody would want to give it away,” said Wu. ????The villagers were initially skeptical, but were eventually won over by Wu’s sincerity and warmth. ????They found a cave at the foot of the mountain and made it into a simple classroom. And all the chairs and desks were made by him with wood he had bought from the nearby township. ????He hired a teacher to teach the students for 35 yuan a month and bought textbooks from the city.????? ????Running the school ????“The hardest part was not building the school but persuading villagers to send their children there,” said Wu. ????Many villagers did not want their children to go to school, even though it was free. “Many parents thought it was a waste of time because they would not have money to send them to high school or university and there was much farming work to be done anyway,” said Wu. ????For more than six months, Wu canvassed the neighboring villages to persuade families to give their children the opportunity. ????“Originally, I did not plan to make the school free. But meeting with the families persuaded me to cover all the costs myself because giving the children an education was more important than me having a better life,” said Wu. ????Weimin Primary School finally opened Sept. 10, 1997 and more than 40 children from the rural villages began their school life. ????“Nothing feels better when you see their eyes in class. Unlike spoilt city children, they are all happy to be there and eager to learn as much as possible,” said Wu. ????Zheng Fuhua, a teacher at the school, expressed his admiration for Wu. “I admire him and want to be like him, so when I graduated from junior high school in the township, I did not go to work in big cities like many of my classmates. I chose to teach at the school to help more children realize their dreams,” said Zheng.???? ????Hardship ????Over the past 14 years, Wu had spent more than 100,000 yuan on the school. Apart from living necessities, he had never bought anything for himself. ????Wu is still single at age 33. ????“Few girls want to marry a man who lives like me,” he said. ????Once he had a long-term relationship with a girl who was generally supportive for his charity work. But once when Wu went shopping with her and she wanted him to buy her a 300-yuan coat, he was unable to afford it. “I bargained with the saleswoman, but she laughed at me. After walking out of the department store, my girlfriend asked me whether I wanted her or the children and I did not answer, so she left,” he said. ????Wu, however, has never regretted what he has done. “I want a woman who can help the children with me. If they cannot understand that, I’d rather stay single,” he said. ????The school continues to grow thanks to Wu’s effort. “The county and township governments know about the school and send teachers to help. Some companies and my former fellow soldiers in the army also donate money to the school,” he said. ????Wu’s biggest wish now is for one of the school’s alumni to get to university. “Most of them start working after graduating from junior high school. But if an alumnus wants to continue studying, I will try my best to pay his or her tuition fees. It will be a proud day for the village if such a dream cames true,” he said. | 