In Yanyuan in September, wall-climbing tigers circle around century-old buildings, and there are large tracts of trees - there are more than 500 ancient trees over a century old. Those Chinese locust trees, cypress trees, Chinese pine trees, ginkgo trees, mulberry trees... breathe the aura of life. The wind rustled the leaves, the sunlight was cut into pieces by the leaves, and the golden wind fell like drizzle. By the Weiming Lake, the sun was setting in the west. It was hard to describe the brilliant golden color of the sunset, and a leaf was swaying in the wind. To the students, it seemed as if their year-round longing was satisfied in this moment.
In the office of Shenyang No. 11 Middle School, teachers are passing around a photo like this: deep in the shadow of the trees by Weiming Lake, a girl is sitting in the light. The setting sun quietly rubs dreams into light and shadow.
The Tibet Class is an important part of the Party’s Tibet governance strategy in the new era and an important platform to promote the construction of the Chinese nation’s community—selecting students from Tibet to complete their studies in the mainland and return to Tibet to work after graduation. There are two high schools in Liaoning Province that take over the task of Tibetan classes, one is in Yingkou and the other is in Shenyang No. 11 Middle School. The Tibetan Class of No. 11 Middle School started in 2002, with only three students in the first class. Since 2010, there have been about 55 students in each class, with a maximum of 89 students. Almost all of the more than 50 people graduating in 2026 passed the 985 and 211 exams. One of the students was admitted to Peking University with a score of 651, ranking first in liberal arts in the school.
Her class teacher flipped through the photo album on her mobile phone and handed it to Teacher Zhao Haitao, with a bit of show-off: "Look, she sent it to Weiming Lake." Teacher Zhao went over to take a look and smiled: "Where is this? Every student I teach is in the same group. Not only do they send me big "Everything is posted on the school campus -" he read as he rowed, "look at this one, he has been very tanned at the infrastructure construction site these past two days; this one is taking the students to a sports meeting - look how handsome this guy is; this one has just opened a travel agency in Lhasa and is getting married, so let me keep an eye on it."
He flipped through the photos of the children: the naughtiest one was called Zaton, the pretty girl was Dolma...
The Tibetan class has been running for more than 20 years, and a question arises: Where are every batch of Tibetan children who left Shenyang now? How are you doing?
(1) In the autumn of 2012, Xiangba Zhuoma.
That was the first class of students that Teacher Zhao taught as a class teacher.
Since 2010, there have been 55 students in each class. They themselves have reported that there is a significant gap between them and local students. They have to listen to scriptures in class and are under great psychological pressure. The school will give them separate classes to help them gradually adapt. In 2012, it was the first time that Teacher Zhao served as the head teacher of the Tibetan class.
When he first came to Shenyang, some of his classmates were so acclimated that their entire arms were swollen by mosquito bites, and the marks could even be seen two years later. So when Xiangba Zhuoma found bruises on his feet, he didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just the usual bumps and bruises he had suffered when he was a child.
Until later, she lost energy after walking a few steps and became dizzy and unable to eat. After Teacher Zhao found out, he immediately took her to the nearest hospital. After a series of examinations, the situation was not optimistic, and he was transferred to the First Hospital of Medical University that night. Teacher Zhao was still comforting her, saying it was nothing serious, it was just anemia and she had to be hospitalized.
When Dolma's relatives heard the news of the leukemia diagnosis, they rushed to Shenyang from Tibet and broke down several times. They proposed to take Dolma back to Tibet to see his family for the last time and spend his last days according to religious customs. But this will undoubtedly delay treatment.
At that time, Zhao Haitao also asked in the midst of repeated conflicts:
"To go or to stay, that is the question. Respect family ties and religion, or respect life itself? Does Dolma have the right to know the whole truth about his life? Should Dolma make the decision? ... What is life, this body? ... Tonight, I am willing to pray for you."
Zhuoma's illness touched the hearts of everyone in the No. 11 Middle School. Zhao Haitao chatted with Zhuoma's brother until late at night. Pan Xiaohong, the old principal, also rushed to the hospital and repeatedly persuaded, "I believe in the miracle of life." Finally, on the eve of boarding the plane, Dolma's family agreed to stay. The government borne all the expenses. After more than 40 days of systemic treatment, Dolma was out of danger. He also took the college entrance examination the next year and was successfully admitted to Beijing Forestry University.
"I want to repay the second life given to me by the party and the country." In those years, graduates from Shenyang returned to Tibet with great success. Zadon put on a police uniform in Lhasa, and Dundup joined the State Grid... But Dolma chose to return to her hometown, Tiantuo Town, Zuogong County, Qamdo City, and took the initiative to apply for a village residency. She said, "I am from the countryside, and I can do the work of rural people with ease."
"I have worked in the village for seven years, and my original intention has never changed, but it does take time for good policies to be implemented." She said, "There are thousands of lines on the top, and there is a needle on the bottom. The village has changed a lot in the past few years. In 2019, the per capita annual income just reached 10,000 yuan, and now it has doubled. With various government subsidies, it can reach about 24,000 yuan. The government also invested in a sand and gravel factory in our village, which is operated by the village collective. Every year The turnover is almost 3 million. The villagers trust me and come to me for anything. They even knock on the door at two or three in the morning. Although I also wanted to stay in bed for a while, but when I heard the villagers say, "Help me," I thought it would be better to help. Seven years later, they came to me, just like I came to Teacher Zhao, and they were willing to talk to him about any problems or difficulties. "
"People in Shenyang are all my relatives." She in the video is as sincere as a ball of fire - she is sitting on the ground on the grass on the plateau, as enthusiastic as the wild flowers everywhere, with green mountains and a few rows of villages behind her.
(2) Class of 2015, Dolma Tsering.
Many of these graduates have returned to Tibet to work as teachers. Dolma Tsering is one of them.
Many Tibetan children talked to Teacher Zhao about how when they were young, one teacher was responsible for multiple subjects. Both teaching and learning were rough, and he was often forced to stand and be scolded. "We come back as a new force to cycle out this old routine."
She still remembers that when she first arrived in Shenyang, she couldn't understand the English class - "I haven't had much contact with English since I was a child. The teacher gave me a basic course called 'Xiao Zao', which gradually connected to high school courses." She was very interested in English, and with the help of her teacher, she worked hard for several years and was admitted to the English Department of Northeast Normal University. After graduation, she returned to Lhasa and became a high school English teacher.
The students in this high school are all from Ngari, the most remote area of Tibet. Tibetan class students go to Shenyang to study, Ali's children go to Lhasa to study - educational resources flow to places that need them more in the same way.
But these children, thousands of miles away from home, also caused her a lot of trouble. "They made trouble in class just to get me to kick him out," she said. "As soon as they left the classroom, they would run around outside all day." When she didn't know what to do, she would think: "If it were Teacher Zhao, how would he enlighten me?"
She learned to teach students in accordance with their aptitude: understand each one and talk to each one. For students with better foundations, she would encourage them: "Your foundation is completely enough to go to college." For students who were not taken seriously at home, she would have long conversations and give them enough attention, and the students would quickly become motivated. When she encounters students who are not very motivated to learn, she will first work with the parents, and work hard together at home and school, and the students will gradually gain enthusiasm.
In addition to her hard work in the classroom, she also brought one of the most unforgettable things in Shenyang back to Tibet: giving a collective birthday to the children who have birthdays every month. Many Ali children never celebrate their birthdays - in pastoral areas, birthdays are not days that need to be specially remembered. At the birthday party, she first asked the children who had a good relationship with the birthday girl to talk, and then asked the children who had had conflicts to talk too - just like Teacher Zhao did at that time. Many knots were resolved that day.
She also invited graduated students to come back and share their works with the new students, talk about the outside world, and talk about the regrets of not giving their best back then. In those 11th middle schools, the graduates always chose Shenyang as the gathering place. They would go back to see Teacher Zhao, and Teacher Zhao would always take them to chat with the freshmen like this.
"In general, it can be said that each term is getting better," she said. "In the past, parents sometimes had a laissez-faire mentality and hoped that their children would stay in Lhasa for three years and get a diploma and go home. In recent years, through our efforts, parents have also grown up. In the past, there were children who would say, 'My parents have no hope, and I can't learn,' but now they basically don't give up. They can't learn to study hard."
(3) Class of 2018, the future “richest man”.
On the first day of school, the child's self-introduction left a deep impression on people: "I want to study hard and become the richest man in Tibet." "The richest man" became his nickname for three years in high school.
He really worked hard, and his grades were low when he first entered school. After three years of hard work, he was admitted to the Renmin University of China as the top Tibetan student in liberal arts in the college entrance examination. However, when he graduates from college in 2025, the employment pressure he faces is very different from that of his predecessors. The employment environment in Lhasa has already exceeded demand, and competition for jobs is fierce. He participated in the civil service recruitment examination for two consecutive years, but before he could "come aboard," his options had already retreated from Lhasa to Shannan.
Zhao Haitao said that there was another graduate of Shandong University in the same year in the class who also encountered the same situation and failed the provincial examination that just ended. "We were all so good back then, but now we are waiting for opportunities."
But looking at it from another angle, this is proof of development. Compared with the "hot demand" of the first batch of graduates returning to Lhasa, various industries are in urgent need of talent; the employment pressure faced by graduates in recent years just confirms the development of Tibet - with more jobs and more talents, competition will naturally come. And when these young people have to retreat to lower-level cities, counties, and even towns for employment, what they bring with them is precisely the knowledge and vision that these places need most. If countless "they" spread, they will surely drive the development of these places. This may be the most profound significance of allowing Tibetan children to travel thousands of miles to study in the mainland.
This change is visible. Zhao Haitao said, "In the past, when we walked from Linzhi to Milin County, it was like a pantry. There were only two roads, one along the mountains and one by the river, with some small towns in between. There are four taxis in the county, and you can't stop them on the street. You have to call to make an appointment. Now when I go to Linzhi, the entire city area is much larger, the roads are wider, and the roads are full of cars, making it completely unrecognizable. Lhasa has been turned upside down - not only are there more people, but industries are also booming."
(4) Freshman in 2026, Tsomu.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival that just passed, a pair of local students brought their friends from Tibet home for a reunion dinner.
Over the past few years, through pairing and friendship, many cross-ethnic friends have formed lifelong friendships. Some Tibetan children take the initiative to talk to their "one-on-one" friends when they have something on their mind - this is probably the fate between people.
Zuomu, who is from Linzhi, went to the Science and Technology Museum with his paired classmates and saw the night view of Shenyang. In the Science and Technology Museum, Tsomu asked the instructor in front of a simulated spacecraft, "Will Tibetan children have the opportunity to participate in aerospace projects in the future?"
"Of course," the commentator said with a smile, "Zeren Zhima, the chief designer of the application system of my country's first electromagnetic monitoring test satellite, 'Zhangheng-1', is a Tibetan compatriot."
"There are several Tibetan scientific researchers in the National Aerospace Project. Your name may be among them in the future," encouraged the paired parents who work in science and technology.
Zuomu stared at the simulator again and looked back and forth carefully for several times. She asked a lot of questions that day, ranging from "How do satellites get into the sky and how do they ensure they always fly in the right direction?" to "Does the stronger sunshine in Tibet generate more electricity? How can that electricity be delivered to a ranch with only a few households in the distance?" The questions were detailed and serious.
Ethnic unity is a solid step for economic development and common prosperity in ethnic areas under top-level design. It is also the wish of Teacher Zhao for ten years, Xiangba’s notes in the village, Dolma’s teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and the wish of “the richest man” and Tsomu.
At night, the teachers gave up going home for reunions and were still arranging schedules and keeping an eye on safety behind the scenes until the last child returned to school.
"We are both parents and teachers. We are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To teach and educate people, we have to take care of our lives - 'to go to the lecture hall and to go to the kitchen.'" Zhao Haitao laughed loudly after saying this, with a bit of scholarly energy in his expression, "But I am particularly proud. Every time I go to Tibet, the graduating students line up A group of people invited me to dinner. Most of them are in Tibet and are doing well in their respective fields. Sometimes a group of people chat for an entire afternoon - at night, Tibet is still as bright as a familiar modern city, with cafes and bars everywhere, and traffic flowing like a dragon. "
"We can be said to be full of talents all over the world." He said with a smile, "There are people in Tibet who can help."
