On a winter afternoon, in the multi-function hall of the Fourth Primary School of Horinger County in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 26 students stepped forward one by one to receive grants and school supplies. Each child took the envelope with both hands and thanked the visitors. This scene has continued for fifteen years. Since the former Dazhun Railway Locomotive Depot launched its first education support initiative in 2011, and later as the baton was taken up by the CHN Energy Xinshuo Railway volunteer team, the beneficiaries, methods and school conditions have all changed, but one promise has remained the same: support delivered every year, without fail.
Targeting needs and building long-term support
In 2011, staff from the former Dazhun Railway Locomotive Depot learned during field visits along the railway that some school-age children were facing academic pressure due to family financial difficulties. Han Suqin, an employee of the locomotive company, recalled that what moved the team most was the children’s strong desire to continue their education. After the visits, the company launched an initiative calling on employees to “offer a share of love and support one student”, which received wide participation and formed a stable source of funding.
To make assistance more precise and sustainable, the team conducted home visits and school discussions to understand students’ family situations and learning needs. Gradually, they developed multiple support models, including one-on-one, two-on-one, small-group and department-based assistance, and defined the support cycle as long-term, companion-style engagement. The goal was not only to ease immediate difficulties, but also to support students through their studies and, whenever possible, until they entered university.
Donation ceremony for education support in 2017
Investing resources where schools need them most
In the early years, assistance focused mainly on grants. As communication deepened, the team realized that schools had more urgent needs in learning resources and activity spaces. When extracurricular reading materials were scarce, they raised books to set up Heart Bookshelves. When sports and arts equipment was lacking, they donated basketballs, footballs, drawing boards and other supplies. When teaching conditions were relatively weak, they funded the renovation of multi-function activity rooms and added modern teaching equipment. School officials noted that these investments improved students’ learning experience and made campus activities richer and more organized.
Over fifteen years, campus infrastructure has steadily improved. Standardized playgrounds, better-equipped activity rooms and accessible books for borrowing have gradually become part of daily school life. For the volunteer team, this shift meant that education support was no longer just about delivering money, but about building conditions that benefit more children over the long term.
Students playing in the snow on the standardized playground built with Xinshuo Railway donations
Bringing motivation into everyday campus life
Beyond material support, the team also introduced growth-based incentives into daily school management. The school set up a Moral Education Store, stocked with stationery and notebooks. Instead of prices, items are marked with “moral credits”. Students earn credits through good classroom performance, helping others and academic improvement, and then exchange them for items they need. Team leaders said they hoped children would not only receive help, but also experience the value of earning rewards through effort, building confidence and a sense of responsibility.
During the annual support activities, team members visit classrooms, join campus events, and talk with teachers and students, listening to children’s concerns and wishes. Teachers shared that students often express their gratitude through drawings and handwritten cards, frequently depicting rainbows, playgrounds, police officers and teachers—images that reflect their imagination of life and the future.
Xinshuo Railway education support donation ceremony at the Fourth Primary School of Horinger County in 2025
As time has passed, some supported students have entered university or joined the workforce. On the tenth anniversary of the program, three students who had already graduated from university sent video messages of thanks. Among them, some returned to rural areas as teachers, some entered the field of special education, and others continued their studies in graduate programs. For the school, such feedback made the value of the initiative tangible: it not only eased family burdens, but also gave children real opportunities to move forward.
According to data provided by Xinshuo Railway, over the past fifteen years the program has benefited 514 student-times, distributed 777,000 yuan (around 111,728.6 USD) in grants, and donated sports and cultural supplies worth 1.448 million yuan (around 208,215 USD). Today, the Fourth Primary School of Horinger County has brighter classrooms, better facilities and more diverse after-school activities. Members of the volunteer team say that returning to the school each year “feels like coming home”, while the children regard these familiar aunts and uncles as steady and reliable companions in their childhood memories.
Xinshuo Railway expressed it will continue to treat education support as a long-term commitment to fulfilling social responsibility and contributing to rural revitalization, giving equal emphasis to financial assistance, improved learning environments and growth incentives, so that this fifteen-year relay of care can move forward more steadily and go even further.
