The Haiga rock band debuted at the 2023 Spring Festival Web Gala on Saturday led by Gu Ya, a 36-year-old village schoolteacher.

At an altitude of over 2,600 meters, Haiga Primary School in Southwest China's Guizhou Province was on the verge of shutting down due to teacher shortages when Gu arrived in 2016 and became a teacher.

"At that time there were only 14 students in a cramped classroom," Gu said. "Many children were shy, had low self-esteem and after-school time was boring."

Gu has loved music since childhood. He had played in a rock band in college. So in his office after school, he often sang and drummed with his hands in his office, which drew crowds of students. Gu began teaching the children how to play guitar, bass and drums.

"The students here deserved equal education opportunities," Gu said. "I wanted to bring them knowledge outside their textbooks."

In early 2018, Gu and five other teachers launched a one-hour music class during lunch breaks. The school principal even descended from the mountainous village to borrow instruments from better-off schools. A band was established in the school.

"Most kids in the band show great academic performance," Gu said. The music lends confidence to students, he noted.

The students have now participated in music festivals and exhibitions outside the village. The school has received donations of musical instruments and teaching equipment.

All the attention "did not make me feel superior, but made me more pragmatic," Gu said, "because it helped the education of the whole Haiga village."

(Compiled by Zheng Yueyun, edited by Huang Jingjing; Source: CCTV News; Photos: CCTV, China Daily)