Best and brightest: Teachers who inspire the nation

Teacher stays loyal to school for 30 years

Jiao Shengding, 52, is the only teacher at Zhangji village, which is located on the border between China and Vietnam.

After graduating from the county's secondary vocational school in 1990, Jiao chose to be a teacher in his hometown of Zhangli and has been teaching there for 30 years.

During the past three decades, he taught more than 400 pupils, most of whom came from the three adjacent Yao ethnic group villages.

Over the years, although Jiao received offers from better schools in the county, he turned them down. "Who's going to teach my students if I leave?" asked Jiao, aware few young people would settle down in the village because it is far from prosperous cities.

To Jiao's great pride, many of his students have moved out of the mountains to start their own businesses, and some entered universities.

"Education can change the fate of these students. The better foundation I lay for them, the brighter future they may have by further study," Jiao said.