Part 3: Impression

Under guidance from the leaders of Xiajia Townhship’s Education Committee, 16-year-old Ruan Wenping began his teaching career at Changdong Primary School in his home village on September 1, 1994. One year later, he was laid off when a new teacher was sent to fill the vacancy. Ruan felt somewhat helpless losing the 70 yuan monthly income, familiar work, and his increasingly affectionate students. However, the leaders of the education committee office chose to send him to open a new teaching base that had been shuttered for four years, the Yao school. By these means, Ruan came to Nonghuai Primary School.

Before him was the playground, with weeds and animal waste all about. Mosquitoes and flies buzzed throughout. Ruan cleared a path with his crutches before he came to the classroom building. A four-classroom mud house with broken doors and windows appeared before him. The only door was locked with rusty iron locks, while other doorframes lacking doors were blocked with sticks, and some doorframes lacked even that. These “masterpieces” were certainly left by bulls, horses, pigs, and goats that went in to protect themselves from the rain and sun. Most dilapidated was the roof, with the majority of the purlins and tile angles, whether covered or uncovered, rotted away. Many tiles had fallen and broken, while those that hadn’t fallen barely clung to the roof, ready to fall at any time. Many large and small holes could be seen in the roof from outside. With cattle and horse feces spread about the classrooms, it was hard to step inside. Moreover, water pooled here and there, overgrown with weeds and moss. Looking up, one saw the big and small sieve-like holes in the roof were no better than a tree canopy. The blackboard on the wall was gone and piled in the corner of the classroom was not a single complete desk. Cracked holes in the walls were plentiful, where lizards or geckos climbed in and out in a world of their own.

Ruan Wenping found several legless desktops, put them on the wet and weedy ground, and made a bed for himself. His stay there began that very night, though he was unable to fall asleep at all, due to the many thoughts that passed through his mind.

At the break of dawn the next day, Ruan climbed out of a window and was eager to pull weeds. As he couldn’t pull the long, deep-rooted weeds while on crutches, he had to kneel down. He began at daybreak and worked until it was dark. He became too tired to even eat the dry food he had taken from his home. He couldn’t even climb into the classroom to sleep, so he simply spent the night under the eaves. The dog-tired Ruan slept very well and awoke to the whistling of the flying tits.

Short as the mud walls were, Ruan Wenping couldn’t climb up to the roof directly to make repairs. He had to climb up by stepping on a large stone at a corner of the schoolhouse. He almost fell off when he first climbed the big stone. As it was not easy to climb up and down, he stayed on the roof the entire day. After finishing the work and lowering himself down, he ate only one meal of dry food, without drinking any water.

Though he could have spent more time in cleaning up the inside of the classrooms, he hurried to complete it. He feared delaying the children’s learning any longer. He put the doors and windows in order, cleaned the floor, and repaired the desks and chairs. As it was difficult for him to walk back and forth on the crutches, he knelt throughout the work. His hands were used his hoe and spade, his old clothes used as dustpans for mud, and sharp stones were chosen and used as hatchets.

By Ruan’s efforts, the school looked somewhat restored.

He had thought that the students would have returned to class after he had restored the school. However, several days passed and nobody arrived. The cleaned schoolyard appeared even more empty and desolate. However, there were some children who looked after their sheep on the mountain slopes around the school. They ran after the sheep, loudly singing folk songs Ruan could not understand. They wouldn’t come to the school, and when Ruan went up to talk to them, they all ran away.

Later, Ruan Wenping could no longer sit around waiting for the students to come. Instead, he went to find students by launching “a proactive initiative.”

Part 4: The Search

Though Ruan Wenping had restored order to the classroom and playground, no students came for class. Proactively searching for students, he dragged his handicapped legs through the stockade-like village. Household doors were locked tight, for the villagers went out for work early in the morning. One or two doors remained unlocked, but nobody was in. House after house, Ruan found no villagers. However, every house was guarded by a watch dog, each one fiercer than the last, and every dog grew even more ferocious at the sight of Ruan Wenping.

As he couldn’t meet people in the daytime, he began searching for students in the evening. However, nobody cared to receive him. Ruan Wenping was diligent, hanging on outside, sitting by peoples’ front doors. When the owners failed to drive him away with their dogs, they had to let him be. He seemed as if a stone mill left outside the houses, or as though he had come from another world. He often remained outside until late at night to demonstrate his sincerity.

He was on a family visit when it began to rain one evening. Even though custom prescribes that“on rainy days, guests should stay,” he was refused entry into the house. The family’s leader said in a Yao southwestern Chinese accent as he closed the door, “It is a small rain. You can go home.”Forced by his order to drive away a guest, Ruan Wenping had to brave the rain back to the school. On his way back, he could hardly open his eyes. The road was wet and slippery. The storm made Ruan stumble along, and he fell off the road due to his trembling weak legs and nervousness. His crutches flew out of his hands and he hit his head. He was aching all over and couldn’t move. How he wanted to cry and to retreat from this challenge. As if his physical suffering was not enough, the harsh sarcastic remarks made by others who saw him fall down pained his heart. He wanted to give up, but his sense of responsibility drove him to persist.

From then on, he tied a sling between each of his crutches and his wrists to avoid losing hold of his crutches. To facilitate his night visits to students’ families, he modified his flash light, fixing it to his head to free his hand. How he wished to have somebody support him on the uneven mountain path. But even stronger was his wish to receive another form of support from the masses, that is, to have their children sent to school. In fact, it was not the villagers themselves, but inactivity due to customary distrust of outsiders that failed to render support to Ruan Wenping. According to the local villagers, since the long-suspended school made it impossible for their children to go to school, they would rather continue as things had been. What’s more, as none of the former teachers had adapted to the difficult work conditions, their children had neither learned anything nor looked after their sheep well. In addition, the villagers didn’t often leave their village anyway. If they did, they could manage with just the knowledge needed to tell the difference between male and female toilets; they believed it unnecessary for them to learn much. At the same time, they found it difficult to have confidence in a new teacher like Ruan Wenping, especially a disabled man on crutches.

What could he do to breakthrough to these villagers?  He decided to begin with families with some education. The most respected individual in Nonghuaitun Village was Wang Zongquan, who frequently traveled outside the village and was well-informed. He was also open-minded and not stubborn. He was frank, straightforward, and hospitable, and the villagers followed his lead in many major decisions. As his son, Wang Gongqiang, was an 11-year-old school-aged boy at that time, RuanWenping decided to renew his journey of mobilizing the students by beginning with the Wangs.

Ruan Wenping had been to Wang Zongquan’s home time and again, chatting about ordinary daily life, learning the Yao language, and asking about folk customs among the Yao ethnic group. Ruan never sat still, offering to help husk corn, peel vegetables, and add firewood to the cook stove. He also told stories to Wang Gongqiang, taught him to sing, and talked of the benefit of education. Later, Wang Gongqiang became fond of Ruan Wenping and began begging to go to school. Everything comes to he who waits, and sincerity is also blessed. Finally, Wang Zongquan promised to send his son to learn with Ruan Wenping.

Next, Ruan Wenping persuaded Wang Gongshun to send his son, Wang Ziyong, to go to school as well. Soon afterwards, he brought in Luo Shouan and Luo Donglin, the latter a female student. To his delight, Ruan persuaded Luo Meisong to send their daughter, Wang Rongmei. Through his hard work, he found five students in nearly one month.

October 1, 1995, a special and significant day, marked the joyous 46th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Ruan Wenping and the children constructed a flag post made from a tall and strong bamboo pole. They raised the red, five-star national flag with a rope twisted from packaging strands. Thus, Nonghuai Yao Village Primary School, suspended for four years, was officially reopened on this very day.

Later, some people called the school reopening “five plus one,” which carried different meanings and interpretations. Some said it was “five students, plus one teacher,”others said it was “five students, plus one school,”while still another group said it was “a five-student school, plus hope.” All of the thoughts were reasonable, though the meaning would be more complete if their sentiments were combined, as later developments demonstrate.

Ruan Wenping, who climbed up the Yao Mountain on crutches, had thus started his life’s calling.