Boarding school for left-behind children starts new semester in Fujian

Students dash to the entrance of the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

ZHENGHE, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A new semester kicked off at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School of southeast China's Fujian Province on March 1.

As the only boarding school for primary students at the village level in Zhenghe County, it is a "home away from home" for its 167 students, nearly half of whom are left-behind children.

Several boarding students play on the campus of the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

A student goes to bed in a dormitory room at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

People send their children for the new semester to the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Students have breakfast at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

The school grew out of an ordinary one established in 1979 and developed its boarding capacity through a gradual rebuilding process thanks to funding from both public and private sources.

Headmaster Zhuang Guigan, together with his wife Liang Chun'ai, works as a babysitter for 83 students living on campus. They overlook every step in their daily life, from morning calls, breakfasts, classes, until bedtime.

Headmaster Zhuang Guigan cleans the campus at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Headmaster Zhuang Guigan helps a student dressing up in a dormitory room at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Students have breakfast at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Headmaster Zhuang Guigan speaks at the opening ceremony for a new semester at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Students have a pre-class reading at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Students attend a class at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

The opening ceremony for a new semester is held at the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)