By Lu Yan

Having been a primary school teacher for two decades， Zhang Yugun， 41， still remembers the moment that he decided to give up the chance to work in a city and return to his hometown to teach.

That was in August 2001， when he set foot into the classroom of the Heihumiao Primary School after his graduation from a college. Upon seeing the ramshackle desks， unpainted cement podium， and the eyes of the dozen innocent students， he made the decision.

Twenty years have passed， and he still believes the decision to have been the right one. “My happiness comes from helping the children see a bigger world and change their destiny，” Zhang told Beijing Review.

Where it all started

The primary school is located deep in the mountains of Heihumiao Village， Zhenping County， Henan Province. On the map， it is merely 70 km away from the county seat. However， the village is surrounded by layers of mountains， and the rugged road made it all the more difficult to travel within the village， letting alone leaving the area without a vehicle.

After graduating from a normal college in Nanyang， Henan， in 2001， Zhang planned to venture out to better-off regions to get a job. When he was packing up at home in Heihumiao， the then headmaster of the primary school Wu Longqi came to his door， explaining to Zhang that the school was in desperate need of teachers and expressing his sincerest wishes that Zhang could stay and teach there. It was not the first time that Wu had come to Zhangs home for the same reason. Touched by Wus perseverance， Zhang decided to take a look at the school.

Zhang found the school was in the same shabby state he had left after finishing his primary school there. “I know how hard it was living and pursuing studies in the deep mountains， so I couldnt bear to leave the students there. I decided to stay，” Zhang said. That is how he became a substitute teacher with a slender income.

A rundown two-story classroom shed， a dormitory， and three bungalows constitute the campus. Although the school is located in the middle of the village， it takes students who live far away up to three hours to get there on foot.

Before each semester， Zhang needed to go to the township to purchase textbooks for his students. On the way he needed to climb a 1，600-meterhigh mountain， along a narrow winding footpath that allows for one person only to pass at a time. On the way back， he carried the books in sacks hanging from a shoulder pole. The round trip would take him up to 12 hours. In the wintery snowfall， it would take him longer due to the icy roads. One time he slipped and almost fell down the mountain if it hadnt been for a rock blocking his rapid descent.