Xinhua News Agency, Xining, March 1 (Reporters Wang Wei, Zhang Long, Zhou Xinyi) "I live in the source of the Yellow River, you live in the tail of the Yangtze River, the rivers are surging endlessly, carrying deep affection and friendship..." In the new semester, melodious singing echoed in the classroom of the Goluo Xining National Middle School in Xining City, Qinghai Province. This is the first lesson of the new semester of Shanghai music teacher Kan Yanjun.

The Goluo Xining National Middle School in Xining City, Qinghai Province was photographed on February 23. (Drone Photo) Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Long

The lyrics of the school song are the story of the school rushing in both directions—

At 5 a.m., facing the moonlight, crossing the snow-covered mountain road, Gamadidong, a student from Makehe Township, Banma County, Goluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, took a bus to Goluo Xining National Middle School to welcome the new semester. The 800-kilometer mountain road requires a day's drive.

In Shanghai, after packing up the paintings (family portraits) given by his daughter and giving his wife a big hug, Kan Yanjun turned around and rushed to Xining City, more than 2,000 kilometers away, starting his new semester.

Goluo Xining National Middle School is a school built by Shanghai in Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. It accepts Goluo students with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. The two places are nearly 3,000 kilometers apart. Shanghai chose to build an "enclave" school in Xining because the educational resources here are richer, and the relatively low altitude can also improve the quality of teaching.

On February 25, students from the Goluo Xining National Middle School in Xining City, Qinghai Province were having meals in the canteen. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Long

Every year when school starts, teachers and students go in two directions.

Guoluo is located at the source of the Yellow River and is one of the autonomous prefectures with the highest average altitude, the harshest climate and the most difficult environment among the 30 ethnic autonomous prefectures in the country. "Going good school" is the wish of local students. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai insists on 15 years of relay education assistance to Qinghai, bringing the hope of "going good school" to pastoral students.

Kan Yanjun is the fifth batch of teachers who aided Qinghai. This semester is his last period of three years of aid to Qinghai. When he left home this year, his daughter, who was in the second grade of elementary school, asked him: "Dad, you'll be back this summer vacation."

"How about..." Kan Yanjun was almost shocked by his hesitation. As the end of the aid to Qinghai, an idea often popped up in his mind - to apply for a postponement of the aid to Qinghai.

"Teachers are needed here. In many schools in Goluo Prefecture, music classes or Chinese teachers are serving as agents, or mathematics teachers are serving as agents." Kan Yanjun remembers that once he went to the state to train local music teachers. After returning to Xining, the state teachers often asked when Teacher Kan would come again.

On February 25, a student at the Golo Xining National Middle School in Xining City, Qinghai Province played basketball during breaks. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Long

The desire for excellent teachers can be felt from every child. Gamadidong told reporters that he wanted to take the police academy and become a policeman in the future. This wish can be realized by going to school here.

Since the establishment of this school, it has recruited more than 1,400 Goluo students, and currently 800 students are currently in school. The school’s first batch of college entrance examination candidates has an undergraduate admission rate of about 68%, breaking through the situation where the undergraduate admission rate of Goluo has been lower than 20% for a long time.

At adjacent to Haidong City, Qinghai Province, Xining, another "enclave school" - Goluo Haidong Middle School is stepping up construction. "Going to school well" is the wish of every family and the hope of every child. It is this hope that connects the source of the Yellow River to the estuary of the Yangtze River.

School starts, the theme of this school is to be grateful for this two-way journey. (Video reporters: Wang Wei, Zhang Long, Jia Yuankun, Zhou Xinyi)

Some video materials source: Banma County Media Center