Dong Zhuwen, a 63-year-old rural teacher, starts his day early by shopping at a grocery store to prepare lunches for his students, and on the way to school, he usually picks up several members of his class.

Dong has been teaching and taking care of his students for 43 years.

Unlike his primary school peers in urban areas, Dong only teaches pupils in the first and second grades, as village schools deep in the mountains of Central China's Hunan province are usually only built to meet the most basic educational needs of the sparsely-populated neighborhoods.

After completing their tenure at the village schools, students will go on to continue their studies at schools in the nearest town.

This year, Dong is in charge of all the courses for 15 students in a primary school in the village of Chagan in Chaling county.

Dong says most of the students who get enrolled into the school are children that have been left behind by their parents who leave to seek higher-paying jobs in big cities.

"I firmly believe that no matter how poor a family is, they must invest in their children's education. Going to school is their best path out of the mountains," he says.

Dong has taught thousands of students, and whenever a student shares with him good news, such as their being admitted by a high school or university, he feels a great sense of achievement.

"There is nothing happier for a teacher," Dong says.

In 1977, he graduated from high school and started his career as a Chinese teacher. He adapted quickly to the job, and the academic performance of his students is usually the best in the town.

However, for students living in the mountainous areas that lack access to transportation, it is not easy to complete their schooling.

"In the late 1980s when students had to pay tuition fees for primary education, the dropout rate in the villages was high because students and their parents could barely afford the costs," Dong says. He would offer the dropouts financial support to ensure they went to school.

Dong has always been concerned about the children left behind in the villages by their migrant parents. When he reached the age of retirement in 2018, he decided to stay on and continue to dedicate himself to the career he loves so much.

In Hunan province, many retired teachers like Dong have returned to classrooms, thanks to a project that invites them to continue their teaching career.

Hunan plans to recruit about 350 retired teachers, who have rich experience in education, for the 2021 academic year.

In Chaling county where Dong works and lives, there are 2,280 rural teachers. The county's education authority has issued a spate of policies, such as improving their salary and offering benefits, to encourage teachers to base themselves in the countryside.

Dong hopes the villages will be able to attract more young teachers in the future. "Although we don't have too many students, they still have the right to be equally educated. Younger teachers cannot only teach students plenty of subjects, such as music and fine arts, but also help them learn more about the outside world.

"Teaching is both my hobby and my mission. As an older teacher, there is no such thing as retirement," Dong says.