Li Jizhen, who teaches at the Guayuan primary school, in Datong county, Shanxi province, goes so far as to do some coaching of her students in their dormitory.

Li has been teaching in this rural part of China for more than 30 years and has received a model teacher of Shanxi province and outstanding teacher awards. Over the years, she has stayed close to her students, coaching them, and even caring for them in their daily lives, as if she were a mother, and has gained the praise of both students and their parents.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw