Zhu Bo receives the cards his students wrote wishing him all the best at his English class on the first day of the new semester at Shuanggu Middle School, Zigong, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Feb 20. Zhu, 40, was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the end of last year. His family wanted him to receive chemotherapy and undergo medical treatment in the province's capital Chengdu but he refused by saying "I would prefer to die behind the rostrum rather than on the operation table". Born in a rural village, Zhu said he understands what it takes for rural students to excel in school. Every morning he gets up at 6:30 to take his students for physical exercise and often postpones his breakfast until 10 am, according to his wife Qin Wenqiong.[Photo/VCG]