A real-life library paradise, inspired by a quote by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges that “Paradise will be kind of a library,” has sprung up amid the laid-back mountains of Guangxi. Thirty-five students from Shenzhen Xili Primary School, bringing 7,000 books under the banner of “reading for a better future,” delivered the keys to “Paradise” to students at Babie Central Primary School recently.

Babie Village of Tianyang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is still deeply veiled by mountains and ravines. After spending hours on a high-speed train, the Shenzhen students took a painstaking journey to the village and its primary school, in a way similar to the hard effort the Guangxi students had to put forth each time they sought out a favorable book to read.

The former library of the school, located on the ground floor of the teaching building, was rarely visited due to its old-fashioned and obscure collections. On seeing the arrival of their Shenzhen partners, students were over the moon and couldn’t wait to read the new books before they were displayed on the shelves of the school’s newer library.

The new library, located on the fifth floor of the teaching building, was named “Paradise” by Chen Yan, a voluntary teacher from the No.1 Primary School of SUSTech Education Group (Nanshan). Together with Chen, another three volunteers, including Chen Yuekun, vice principal of Xili Primary School, were to stay for a given period at the primary school to teach local kids.

Similar to other public-funded schools in rural regions, Babie Central Primary School has a flock of left-behind children whose parents work in other cities. The school has provided accommodations for nearly 380 students, accounting for over 90 percent of its total student number. The rest live with grandparents.

Therefore, according to Luo Hui, vice dean of students with the school, a self-study class is held after school where students who board there can do readings together, and thanks to the books donation, the students’ intramural life has been greatly enriched.

Xili Primary School will continue to support Babie Central Primary School, who has been a sister school with the Shenzhen school since 2017, aiming to propel the school’s reading levels and infuse new blood to its faculty.

Backed by its leading education groups, Nanshan District has formed a cross-province partnership with rural regions in Guangxi including Debao and Tianyang counties.(Wang Haolan)