You wouldn't typically picture a school being this empty,Love Nonetheless but this one in rural Youyang County, near Chongqing in inland China, is so empty it only has two students and one teacher.
The teacher in charge, 53-year-old Yang Jinhua, has taught for nearly 35 years in the village elementary school since he was 18.
Despite the tiny attendance, the school has remained opened in part because of Yang's dedication to it, according to the Chongqing Morning Post. Yang has refused jobs from principals in other counties, town centers and even corporations.
SEE ALSO: Chinese high school devises 'marks bank' for failing students to borrow from to raise gradesYang is both the school's cook, nanny and teacher; he even sends the two children home every day.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable 
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable "Whenever I see the kids' smiling faces, the curiosity of the children, I feel even more responsible (for them)," he said.
Yang worries that if he leaves and the school closes, the younger kids who can't make the journey to the next nearest elementary school 4 km (2.5 miles) away would not be able to go to school.
The rapid urbanisation of China's cities - and the mass migration of parents seeking work in urban China -- has led to increasingly empty schools that used to be the center of China's villages.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable His drive to keep the rural school open has been lauded by Weibo users:
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable ATimeForDeepFeelings says: "Youyang is a very rural area -- the poverty and hardship is unimaginable for us city kids. To be a teacher there for 35 years is very noble."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable AhBuTongXue adds: "Hope these kids don't let their teachers down and earn great achievements."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable 6002ChenGe jokes: "Two kids...if you don't listen in class, you can get caught very easily."
Yang's school is getting more common across rural China, nicknamed "sparrow schools," where a lack of resources, combined with a declining student population, has made it hard for the schools to survive. Teachers have to multitask, often teaching more than three subjects.
In 2015, a school with only one student and one teacher in Gaoyang, also near Chongqing, was featured on China Daily.
In the early-2000s, the Chinese central government started trying to close down remote village schools like Yang's, shifting focus to centralised counties and towns.
Plans to shutter rural schools were halted in 2012, but around 30,000 schools from 2010 to 2015 were shut by local authorities, according to Caixin. Remote village schools have survived mainly because they were in thinly populated remote mountain areas that lack a proper road network.
Yet, schools like Yang's still lack the budget to improve school facilities. Yang's earnest hope is for his school's exercise grounds to be paved with cement, so it does not get muddy when it rains.
The school's enrolment is finally seeing an uptick, however, as four more children have enrolled in Yang's school next year. As he told the Chongqing Morning Post: "Even if there's one kid here, I'm still going to stay."
Donald Trump talked about space and Buzz Aldrin's face says it all
Three TikTok creators may have just saved the app from Trump’s shutdown order
Yes, Chrissy Teigen tried ballet. No, she doesn't need your concern for her ankles
An underage woman paid by R. Kelly to remain silent about sexual relationship speaks out
The Best Sports Video Game of All Time
Dating app usage is changing for the better as the pandemic rages on
BMW unveils the iX, an electric SUV with a 300
Dick Gregory, Comedian and Civil Right figure, dead at 84
NYT Connections hints and answers for February 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #601.
Twitter launches its own version of Stories, calls it Fleets
Best LG B4 OLED TV deal: Save $200 at Best Buy
Netflix's 'Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House Of Fun' is a total Australian blast
UK politicians hold a tearful vigil for a clock because they clearly have nothing better to do
Dude on Tinder somehow uses memes to win his match's heart
Best vacuum deal: Get the Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum for $120 off
Karen Pence's weird
The complexity of sending sounds to (and from) space
Camel blocking traffic doesn't care about your afternoon plans
We'll always, er, sorta, have the Paris Climate Agreement
Space Karen is the burn Elon Musk deserves after his COVID
Colin Kaepernick's noble deeds keep making haters look like bitter foolsRead what Alexis Ohanian said about Serena Williams in Humans of New York and try not to cryKaty Perry's Met Gala look has a mysterious messageHappy 20th birthday to my first true love: AOL's Instant MessengerTwitter asks advertisers to help it live forever during firstAlexa's whispers are the nightmare fuel narrating our crumbling dystopian dreamscapeWe now know what Janet Jackson's mystery countdown clock was all aboutOutlander Season 4 announces new cast members: Rollo puppies!Harry Styles' song 'Sweet Creature' will have you crying millennial pink tearsYouTube's new Material DesignStarbucks strikes again with new 'Midnight Mint Mocha Frappuccino''American Gods' episode 2 gives us an epic introduction to Mr. NancyResearch note suggests the iPhone 8 will be delayed until 2018Alexa's whispers are the nightmare fuel narrating our crumbling dystopian dreamscapeThe world's fastest camera can capture 5 trillion frames per secondSamsung's Bixby delivers a scorching hot rap burn on Siri ... if you know how to ask itThis teeny, tiny 'Defenders' teaser reveals Elektra's fateStarbucks strikes again with new 'Midnight Mint Mocha Frappuccino'Your shows are safe: WGA reaches deal to avoid another writers strikeNow 1 Bitcoin buys you about 30 'MAGA' hats Staff Picks: Dopamine, Magazines, and Exhaustive Guides from A to Z by The Paris Review History Is the Throbbing Pulse: An Interview with Doireann Ní Ghríofa by Rhian Sasseen Redux: About You I Know Only the Weight of a Little Ink by The Paris Review The Voice of ACT UP Culture by Sarah Schulman Diving into the Text by Emilio Fraia Redux: The Name like a Net in His Hands by The Paris Review 'True Detective: Night Country': Is the long night a real thing? Climbing Desolation Peak by Alison Bechdel Staff Picks: Jungles, Journeys, and Jealousy by The Paris Review A Continuous Musical Delight by Vijay Seshadri On Immolation by Aisha Sabatini Sloan Bills vs. Steelers rescheduled NFL playoff game: New game time and how to watch Watching 'True Detective: Night Country'? Chase it with this 'X Staff Picks: Corner Booths, Skate Shoots, and Ghosts by The Paris Review There's a bad cough going around. We asked doctors what it is. Listen to Hebe Uhart, Now That She’s Gone by Alejandra Costamagna How to watch Buccaneers vs. Eagles livestreams: Kickoff time, streaming deals, and more Around 10,000 Amazon workers are striking just before Christmas Redux: The Modest Watercolor by The Paris Review How to watch UFC's Walker vs. Ankalaev without cable: Schedule, streaming deals, and more
1.9224s , 10164.265625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Love Nonetheless】,Unobstructed Information Network