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Ningbo retired teacher given special honor for charity work

chinadaily.com.cn| Updated:  January 17, 2019 L M S

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Zhou Xiufang from Yinzhou district, Ningbo, is honored with the title of "Pride of Zhejiang in 2018" on Jan 15. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Zhou Xiufang, a 71-year-old retired teacher from Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, was honored with the title of "Pride of Zhejiang in 2018" on Jan 15 for her efforts in raising funds for building 22 primary schools in a poverty-stricken county in Hunan province over the past four years.

Nearly 10,000 people from Ningbo, Hangzhou and Shanghai have donated more than 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) under the mobilization of Zhou, and seventeen of the schools have been built and put into use to date.

The fundraising idea occurred to Zhou in March 2015 when she volunteered to be a teacher at a primary school in Tonglin village of the county, and was shocked at the shabby facilities of three mud houses without glass windows, water or electricity supply. A dozen of students were crowded in a classroom with only three braziers for heat. 

Zhou immediately posted about the situation of the school on the internet with the simple idea of raising school supplies first for the children there. This came to the attention of one of her former students Zhang Gang, who went himself to the school and was moved by its plight. He decided at once to rebuild it, which upon being rebuilt became the Hongsheng Hope Primary School.

Zhou spared no effort during the several months that it took for the school to be rebuilt, supervising the construction and discussing practical issues with local officials in addition to giving lessons to students, despite her advancing age. 

Encouraged by Zhou, more and more kind individuals donated to the cause of building schools in the county. 

"The construction of hope primary schools in rural areas of our county is now on the right track, which owes much credit to teacher Zhou," said Yan Anmin, head of the county's education bureau. 

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