Elementary school students enjoy a library built over a garage in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Saturday, after donating books to the place.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A wooden cabin on the second floor of a cafe, with windows on all sides and a balcony shaded by trees, has become a prime reading place for migrant children in Gangtou village in Xiamen, Fujian province.

The inviting building was once the garage of Yan Yupeng, 34, who grew up in the village and is now a police officer.

In recent years, migrant workers have settled in the community because of cheap rents and its location in the rural part of the city.

"Thanks to my job, I have seen many suspects in court," Yan said. "Some were even sentenced to death." He added that most of them had grown up in poverty, and worries when he sees migrant parents ignore their children's education. Some kids have acquired bad habits, such as vulgar speech, he said.

"The families live in small rented rooms without reading desks. When I commute from downtown, I can feel the wide gap in the cultural atmosphere," Yan said.

With the idea of building a library, he collected about 80,000 yuan ($12,600) through crowdfunding via social media in April 2016. "I want to raise public attention in this way."

Many netizens supported the effort, but what pleases him most is that some villagers donated money, too.

"A butcher in the village brought some loose change with oil stains on it," he said.