An American couple who has been teaching in rural areas in North China's Hebei Province for more than two years has created quite a stir among villagers, who are unaccustomed to seeing foreign faces so far afield.

 

The husband, who prefers to go by his given name, John, can currently be found teaching English and playing games with children at Zhuangtou Primary School in Hebei's Tangxian County.

 

With his blond hair and blue eyes, John is something of a celebrity among the school's students, Yanzhao Evening News reported.

 

John, 37, first became a teacher 18 years ago in California, the United States.

 

He came to China with his wife Belinda in September 2004 to teach English at a language school in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei.

 

However, the couple wanted to get out of the city and into the countryside so they could benefit more people, especially children.

 

They first discovered the tiny Zhuangtou Village by chance with friends in early 2005 and were moved by the simple lives of the local people.

 

"We were the first foreign people the villagers had seen and the whole village was in a festive mood to see us," John recalled. "The children surrounded us and jumped around cheering."

 

"When we said 'Hello' and wanted to shake their hands, they ran away," he said. His Chinese friends told him that countryside children are shy and do not know how to communicate with strangers.

 

John said he and his wife were enchanted by the children's pure eyes and innocent faces, so they decided to stay to help them understand the outside world.

 

After that trip, the couple would travel to the village every Monday to teach at the primary school free of charge. They had to catch the early morning train before 8 AM and arrived home in Shijiazhuang near midnight. The journey took them about three hours one way.

 

But the time they were able to spend with the children made it all worth it.

 

"At the beginning, 'yes' and 'no' were the most frequently used words in my class, but gradually the class understood simple words and sentences," John said.

 

For her part, Belinda has built up a small library in the school and made charts and cards to help students study.

 

John has given every student an English name and encouraged them to write to children in other countries.

 

John also helped found a non-profit organization in the United States in 2004 to help children in poverty-stricken areas get access to school. The organization has established branches in China and Vietnam, involving about 100 volunteers.

 

"My effort to Chinese children is limited now, but I hope I will offer more help to more children in the future," said John.

 

(China Daily April 28, 2007)