JOYFUL EXPERIENCE: Students of the Yanjing Little Swan Primary School acting in the school's English drama Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (A ZHUO)

Yan felt sad. "We have 12 teachers now in the school but we really cannot be sure how long they will stay here," said Yan, who has tried many ways to attract qualified teachers.

Compared with teachers of subjects like mathematics, Chinese language and English, it is much more difficult for Yan to find teachers of fine arts, physical education (PE) and music. For a long time, what his students did in the so-called PE class was to run in the small playground led by teachers of other subjects.

Yan posted a wanted ad on his micro-blog to find a PE teacher. It attracted the attention of the Beijing-based I Love Football Union. Since September 27, 2011, volunteers from the club have conducted PE classes in the school on Wednesdays.

"We are happy to do this even though the school is so far away," said Li Jun, the club's chief coach. "I admire Yan for his deeds. It is so difficult to do what he is doing now and it is hard to persist on this road."

Zhang Zheng, who earned his Master's degree in communications in the United States, joined the school as a volunteer English teacher in late 2011.

"Some other schools for migrant children with better financial conditions also approached me. But I think they can get teachers like me easily. Here, I am urgently needed," Zhang said.

Zhang found that students' pronunciation and vocabulary were weak, so at Yan's suggestion, he resolved to direct the students in a dramatic production of the popular animated television series Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.

"Students are participating very actively," Zhang said. "They are very clever. They can recite the lines very quickly and their pronunciation has improved a lot."

After two months' rehearsal, the show was staged at a theater in Beijing's Xicheng District from December 25, 2011 to January 1, 2012. It proved to be a big success.

Channels for money

Although regarded as an idealist, Yan is actually aware of the difficulties he faces in running the school.

"The worst result we were prepared for was that the school could survive for only two months," Yan said. "The main reason was definitely money."

The school charges each student up to 700 yuan ($110) every semester, but 20 percent of the students who come from impoverished families get free tuition. The tuition fee is barely enough to pay the teachers. Yan has to pay an extra 40,000 yuan ($6,250) out of his own pocket every semester for rent, electricity, water and other items. By the end of 2011, Yan already spent 150,000 yuan ($23,438). He also set up the Little Swan Scholarship to reward students who study hard and do well on exams.

When Yan decided to run this school, he had a simple idea. As 1,200 yuan ($188) is enough to cover the cost of educating a student for a year, if 10 people were to support one student together, each one of them would pay just 120 yuan ($18.80), which is a paltry sum for many people.

Yan tried many ways to collect money. He turned to some charitable organizations for help. They all showed him sympathy but refused to aid him financially. "It seemed that I could only wait until I had spent all my money on the school and then see it close in the end," Yan said.

But Yan's efforts were not totally in vain. He attracted the attention of medial outlets, including national broadcaster China Central Television. "After the media covered us, we got more help and more and more people knew about the school," Yan said.

At the end of 2011, the school designed and sold calendars in a new fundraising campaign. On each page of the calendar, there is a picture of its teachers and students.

"I think we should find new ways to collect money," Zhang said. "We shouldn't put all the burdens on Yan's shoulders."

But Yan had different ideas. "I would prefer to have a professional team to raise money for the school and manage the school financially. This way, the teachers could put their whole attention into teaching," Yan said. "If it is always this difficult to run a private school for migrant workers' children, fewer people will do this and the conditions will get worse."

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