In a little village called Muqiao, a four-hour drive from the southwestern metropolis of China's Chongqing lives Mr. Yang.  For the past 35 years, he has been a teacher at the village school. When he started, the school had more than 80 students and three teachers, but today it only has two children – He Fanqi and Shi Tao – and Mr. Yang is their only teacher. 

He is undeniably experienced as he is a natural in the classroom, and he takes his duties very seriously.  He belongs to an older generation of teachers who did not get a university degree, but see teaching as a calling. He learned everything about being a teacher in the classroom. 

In his village, there is a generational gap.  Mainly, the elderly and youth generation live in the area.  Since most people of working age have left the village to find employment in the city, Mr. Yang's job goes beyond ensuring that his students learn the curriculum necessary to complete their education.  He also provides parental care, as what he does extends far more than looking after the children’s general well-being.

Every day he treks down the hill to fetch water from the well. It's an arduous task, which he carries out, no matter the weather. He does receive some compensation for his extra workload - an additional 300 RMB (around 50 US dollars) a month for the challenges of being a rural teacher. But when you meet Mr. Yang, you suspect he has been doing this job regardless of any financial incentive.

Once returns to the hill, he goes straight into the kitchen to cook lunch for the boys. The government provides a meal allowance of eight RMB per day for the two of them. That's just over one US dollar.  It is not a lot of money, and cooking for only two students, the money doesn't stretch far.  At a larger school, the parents often pay a food subsidy, but in Muqiao, the families simply cannot afford it. So another challenge Mr. Yang faces is securing the ingredients he needs to ensure the two boys enjoy a healthy diet. 

Mr. Yang says he will keep on teaching, as long as there is a single student at the school. But sooner or later, he will have to retire. The question is: Will the school carry on without him? His story focuses attention on the future of education in China’s remote villages. 

Rediscovering China is a 30-minute feature programme offering in-depth reports on the major issues facing China today. It airs on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. BJT (02.30 GMT), with a rebroadcast at 11.30 p.m. (15.30 GMT), as well as on Monday at 8.30 a.m. (00.30 GMT) and Friday at 1.30 p.m. (05.30 GMT).