“I grew up in Shenzhen and studied abroad. I used to live like an affluent person chasing luxury brands. But now that I am 30, I want to do something more

fulfilling with my life.”

— Cheng Qingxiao, a volunteer teacher at a middle school in Leye County in Baise City of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

    Li Hao

    “I GREW up in Shenzhen and studied abroad. I used to live like an affluent person chasing luxury brands. But now that I am 30, I want to do something more fulfilling with my life,” said Cheng Qingxiao, in an interview in which she explained why she would volunteer to teach in a remote and underdeveloped area of China.

    Cheng has given up the comforts of urban life to teach English at a middle school in Leye County in Baise City of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She claims to be very happy in her work.

    Comfortable life

    Born in Baise City in Guangxi, Cheng came to Shenzhen as a child and her parents made enough money to give her a very comfortable life.

    After finishing high school, Cheng went to study at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

    After graduating, she returned to Shenzhen and got married, later having a daughter.

    Cheng thought she was making the most of her life until she went on a business trip to a mountainous area in Guangxi. There she learned about the many children who had been forced by poverty to drop out of school. On meeting some of the children, she could see in their eyes the desire to go on learning but it seemed there was nothing she could do to help.

    “From then on, I felt it was my destiny to help these children get the education they deserved,” Cheng recalled.

    Getting an opportunity

    She read in the Shenzhen Economic Daily in August that voluntary teachers were being recruited to work in the mountainous Leye County in Guangxi.

    Cheng applied for the program without hesitation.

    In her interview, she explained that Baise is her birthplace and she wanted to help children who came from similar places. She wanted something more fulfilling than the life of an affluent Shenzhener.

    Cheng’s words moved the interviewers to give her a role as a voluntary English teacher at Xinhua Middle School in Leye County, teaching grades 2 and 3.

    “We want to thank our families for their support. We are determined to chase our dream and make a difference,” said Cheng on Sept.8 on behalf of the 85 volunteers leaving the city for rural areas.

    Cheng’s mother, who works in Hong Kong and did not know about Cheng’s choice until the day before her departure, said she felt proud of her daughter for pursuing a dream she had held for years.

    A happy volunteer

    Cheng’s affable personality has made her popular with students. She spends time with them after class and learns about their lives while helping them practice English.

    “The students in Shenzhen start learning English from as early as kindergarten. However, the students in the rural areas don’t begin until entering junior middle school, so their foundation is weak,” she said.

    Cheng tries her best to make her students stand up and do role-plays.

    “The key to success is to make the subject relevant to students’ lives,” said Cheng.

    Cheng’s teaching has won the respect of both students and teachers. She is due to give a lecture at the school’s assembly theater that every student is required to attend.

    “Although the living conditions are bad, I appreciate that everybody is doing their best. I am honored to have won the esteem of my colleagues “ said Cheng.

    Cheng has received many gifts from students, her favorite being self-planted vegetables.

    A different life

    One of Cheng’s favorite leisure activities is to spend time with her colleagues in the county’s bazaar, which opens every four days.

    “Peasants sell self-made products in the bazaar, and seeing the simplicity of their lives makes me appreciate everything I had in Shenzhen. Many of them wear ethnic minority dresses, giving me a taste of authentic Chinese culture,” said Cheng.

    Cheng buys her fruit and poultry from the bazaar, then later cooks them to eat family-style with other volunteers. Her colleagues act as a family to her

    Her biggest dream

    One boy stopped coming to Cheng’s class after the National Day holidays. Cheng later learned that the boy had gone to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to look for a job.

    Cheng felt sad that the boy had to drop out because of money.

    “My biggest dream is to ensure that no student is ever forced to drop out due to money problems again,” said Cheng, who intends to visit more students’ homes to see if she can help them financially.