Tian Dongbo also expressed appreciation for the couple.

"They are highly regarded by the villagers for ensuring our children can attend compulsory education," Tian said, adding that the next closest school is 15 km away and the children are too young to become boarders.

If it weren't for the two teachers keeping the village school open, he said, parents would be forced to rent accommodations elsewhere so that their children could attend school.

Wang has seen attendance decrease over the years, from more than 200 students and five teachers in 1999 to only seven students and two teachers this year. He said that's because some villagers have migrated to nearby cities and towns in search of better jobs and living conditions. "Teacher Wang has always been my teacher, at school and at work," said 47-year-old Yu Jiang, who was one of Wang's students over 30 years ago and is now an educator himself.

Appointed headmaster six years ago at Wangshui Primary School, to which Pu'an Primary School is affiliated, Yu has invited the couple to teach at Wangshui on a number of occasions, but they declined.

"Their sense of responsibility, commitment, patience and love for the students has been a great inspiration," Yu said.

Zhang said: "I found life here a little boring when I first arrived. But the longer I stay, the stronger my attachment to the kids grows. I will stay and take care of them, and I hope they'll grow up happily."