75-year-old cares for 2,000 students through the years

A 75-year-old from Shule County in Xinjiang is being held up as an example of how one person can make a difference.

Pan Yulian, born to a Han father and Uyghur mother, said she first came up with the idea of caring for children in her community around 25 years ago.

Pan Yulian and her students. [Photo: China Plus]

"Back then, I saw many children running around on the streets, being very noisy, throwing stones through windows. I just couldn't stand it and asked them to start coming to my home. In the beginning, they would just play together. But after a while, I decided that I would start teaching them speaking and writing skills. As time went on, more and more children started coming to my home," said Pan.

Her unique background growing up in a multilingual family allowed Pan Yulian to speak with the children in her classes in both Mandarin and the local Uyghur dialect.

Muzapr Adl is a 5th grade student who attends Pan Yulian's after-school classes.

"First, we write new words on the blackboard. Then, we have some math lessons. After that, Ms. Pan will teach us ancient poems, and let us ask questions. We also study English in the class," said Adl.

Pan herself also struggled when she was young. She was injured and forced to drop out of school before graduating high school. She has supported herself through various jobs.

The classroom where Pan Yulian teaches her students. [Photo: China Plus]

Pan Yulian divorced several years ago, leaving her as the only caregiver to her son, who suffers from hemiplegia, which is a form of cerebral palsy, which leaves people partially paralyzed.

When Pan started out, she had a ten-square-meter room which she used to take care of the children. But as her reputation grew, so did the number of students. Eventually the local government realized what was happening and stepped in to help, giving her money to expand her home to accommodate the growing number of children she was looking after.

The roughly 50 students who travel to Pan Yulian's home every day now have access to a larger classroom, an activity room and a library.

Ryhangul Yasn sends her son to Pan's home quite frequently.

"My child now can speak more fluently and write in a more standard form. She also teaches Tang-era poems well. Since he came here, he has made a lot of progress and is more willing to do his homework and talk with me. The 'loving care' class really does a lot of good for these kids," said Yasn.

Despite the government assistance, Pan Yulian hasn't forgotten her past and remains frugal. She often collects abandoned bottles, selling them for small change to buy stationery for the students. She also recycles the small pieces of chalk used on her chalkboard.

Pan Yulian said while she hopes her students are learning new things through her classes, her main goal is to instill a sense of morality in her students. She demands that her students are always polite, never skip school or cheat on their exams.

Pan Yulian estimates that more than 2,000 Uyghur, Hui, Uzbek and Han children have attended her "loving care" classes through the years. The 75-year old said she intends to keep running these classes as long as she can.