'Urban village' school in the ruins

Bailutun village is a typical "urban village" in Zhengzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Henan Province. With the rapid urbanization of the city of Zhengzhou, most of the village has been demolished to make way for new construction.

However, its school stands still in the ruins. The school has more than 700 students, most of whom are the children of migrant worker families. The demolition process began September, and it is expected to take three years to build a new school.

The parents of these children, who used to make a living doing odd jobs or running shops in the village, have now scattered to the four winds to find work. One parent said that, despite the fact that most of the village has been demolished, the parents still want their kids to study there, because academic standards are so much higher in urban than in rural areas. Some parents travel 10 kilometers to bring their kids to school.

When demolition began, the school suffered water shortages and had its electricity cut off. Li Mo, the deputy headmaster wrote on his WeChat last year: "Village is demolished, the school is surrounded by ruins, the roar of demolition equipment can be heard at every corner of the campus." The local education authority stepped in to help solve the water and electricity problems, and the school is now running normally.

Both parents and the school worry for the children's safety. Every day, the school assigns teachers to guide the kids home safely through the ruins. "These kids are the hope of the future. Anyone among them could be a pillar of the nation," said one teacher.