PE teacher turned grassroots official energizes rural education

Nestled amid the mountains of northeastern Beijing, Dongshaoqu village in Dongshaoqu town, Miyun district, comes alive in late March. Greenery spreads across the slopes, tinged with the pink and white blossoms of peach and apricot trees.

Walking along an asphalt road, Li Quansheng, first Party secretary of the village, was on his way to give a jiaodi class at Dongshaoqu Town Central Primary School. Jiaodi, with written records tracing back over 4,000 years, is a time-honored form of Chinese-style wrestling.

Li Quansheng, first Party secretary of Dongshaoqu village, Dongshaoqu town, Miyun district, Beijing, is interviewed at Dongshaoqu Town Central Primary School. (People's Daily Online/Chang Sha)

In January 2024, Li, director of the Department of PE and Research at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), was selected as part of Beijing's seventh cohort of village first Party secretaries, embarking on a two-year journey of rural revitalization.

Ready in their training suits, the students followed Li through a warm-up session. He then demonstrated key moves step by step, offering guidance with patience and precision. The pre-class chatter soon gave way to focused silence as each child practiced the movements with intent.

Li Quansheng, first Party secretary of Dongshaoqu village in Dongshaoqu town, Miyun district, Beijing, gives a jiaodi class at Dongshaoqu Town Central Primary School. (People's Daily Online/Peng Yukai)

The course reflects Li's goal of bringing richer educational resources to rural students. Drawing on his professional background and experience at BFSU, he also sees it as a way to promote traditional Chinese culture and foster cultural confidence among young people.

Guo Hongyan, the school's vice principal, said the jiaodi class has not only strengthened the children physically but also enriched them culturally, helping the school keep traditional skills alive.

In another teaching building, second graders were reading English picture books under their teacher's guidance. The books are part of a donation of over 1,200 foreign language titles from BFSU's Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

According to Guo, the school has carefully sorted the donated books, with English teachers recommending titles to students based on their reading levels. Students are also encouraged to practice spoken English regularly, which has improved their oral proficiency.

Second-grade students read English picture books at Dongshaoqu Town Central Primary School in Dongshaoqu village, Miyun district, Beijing. (People's Daily Online/Chang Sha)

On this rural campus, the seeds of educational support are taking root. "I feel truly happy," Li said of the moments he shared with the children. "Their eyes are as clear as spring water, as pure as the sky over Miyun, so sincere and genuine."

Many of the students, Li added, hope to get into the universities they dream of. "If they make it to BFSU, they can study foreign languages and learn wrestling with me," he said with a warm laugh.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, more than 3.5 million officials have been dispatched to villages as first Party secretaries or members of work teams, supporting poverty alleviation and advancing rural revitalization. They come from government departments, public institutions and state-owned enterprises at all levels.

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