A group photo of Zhao Xinzheng with his students in the classroom. [Chinese Business News]

A hardworking teacher, Zhao Xinzheng, 60, who has been employed at a school in an underprivilegedrural village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province for nearly 30 years, recently announced his intention to retire.

Zhao recently told reporters that had mixed feeling about the move, but he is content and was finally ready to give his students their last lesson under his tutelage.

Zhao's hands have become coarser than even because of the chalks he uses, which have corroded his hands in the past few years.

Five families came to the school to inquire when they first heard the news. All the students were unhappy when they found their teacher would not teach them anymore, according to locals.

After giving the last lesson, Zhao took a group photo with the students. In total, there were only five children left attending the school, not including one more who was away on a trip at the time.

Zhao said there were two rooms in the local village committee; one is a 30 square meters classroom, the other is his office.

The reporter said there is not an air conditioning unit and all desks and chairs all worn out in the classroom. Besides, the ground is paved by cobble stones and a mechanical fan is behind the classroom for students to use in summer.

To the reporter's surprise, she found there was a big paper box stuffed with plenty of rice, oil and vegetables behind the desk in the classroom. Zhao said he used it to store up food and vegetables to make meals for the students.

He was not only a teacher but also a chef for students in the country school for many years. Every day, he took some foods materials from his home to prepare the brunch for the children at 10 a.m.

He said he tried his best to make sure every meal he prepared was clean and tasty even though it might not be abundant.

A 6-year-old student, Peng Haolan, said he was very sad when he found out, adding that his teacher cared for them very well like his parents.

Peng's mother expressed her gratitude to Zhao, saying Zhao is a very dedicated teacher and has a good friendship with all parents. She recalled that the road in the village was rough and it was difficult for the students to walk, especially on the rainy days. When Zhao saw this, he spent many years paving the road and spared no effort to make the path smooth.

He said if the students could learn more knowledge he would do anything to help them.

Zhao said the school structure has greatly changed in the past few years. There were hundreds of students in the country school at the beginning, while only six students and a teacher are left now, Zhao added. But he still persisted in teaching there year after year.

He hoped that the government could give much support to help the students from low income families to gain access to education.

(Source: Chinese Business News/Translated and edited by Women of China)

By Zeng ChunEditor: Jane Wang