YINCHUAN — Two students on a stage held opposite ends of a long plank, while at the center of the plank two others chopped onions as quickly as they could, with one boy's skillful knife work earning him a round of applause.

Soon, these four students, as well as some in rows near the stage, were reaching for tissues to wipe away tears. "My students, why do they tear up when cutting onions? Do you know what this phenomenon is called?" After the lively demonstration, Hu Yongxiang, a physics teacher at Third Middle School of Hongsibu district, in Wuzhong, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, introduced the concept of thermal motion, which was the focus of the day's lesson.

Hu's classes are known for transforming abstract physics concepts into engaging experiments and games, helping to instill his students with enthusiasm for learning physics. "His classes are fun and lively. These experiments are etched in our minds — so we don't just memorize, but learn to apply principles," said Wang Tao, one of Hu's students.

Beyond the classroom, Hu has also brought his experiments to the internet through short videos, which have become a sensation among Chinese netizens, with comments such as "Definitely no dozing off in such a class", and "If I had met this physics teacher in my youth, I would have made it to college!".

Faced with overwhelming praise online, Hu nonetheless remains humble. "I'm not really exceptional. It's just that I have a passion for this job, so I might put in a bit more effort than others," he said.

The 45-year-old became a primary school teacher in Hongsibu district after graduating from college in 2005, and has taught in several rural primary schools. In 2012, he was transferred to the newly established middle school through a selection exam.

From elementary to junior high, Hu was always eager to make his mark, but reality hit hard when he realized some students were sound asleep at their desks even though he thought he was teaching well. "I was very frustrated because our vice-principal at that time told me that if students sleep in class, it's not the students' fault but the teachers," Hu said.

After that, Hu began to reflect and tried to make his classes more engaging. He brought experiments from textbooks into the classroom and learned physics experiments from watching TV and online.

Additionally, he bought new equipment at his own expense and even took home discarded bottles, cans, wire and other items that might be needed in class.

To achieve the best results, Hu always conducts experiments repeatedly, learning from trial and error. For example, to explain force and pressure, he remade the teaching appliance several times and finally created a simple pegboard out of cement and wood.

To demonstrate the conversion between kinetic energy and potential energy, he first used plastic to make a model roller coaster, but it didn't meet his expectations, so he switched to stainless steel tubes and finally succeeded.

"I have the belief that interest is the best teacher. Only if students like the teacher and his class can they learn the subject well," Hu said.

In his nearly 20-year career, Hu has never felt burnout. Now, as both a physics teacher and the school's vice-principal, his responsibilities are much heavier.

Last year, Hu received a special package containing nearly 300 notebooks with blessings written by a whole class of former students already admitted to college. These students didn't forget Hu, who often offered incentives such as lollipops and pens to those who made great progress. "Education is a process where one heart lights up another, and a good teacher is the one who can ignite students' curiosity, furthering them toward achieving their dreams," he said.

Xinhua