9. Dongzhong Mid-Cave Primary School
In a region suffering from acute water and food shortage due to to desertification, most families would focus on getting by than worry about education. But in one of the worst hit provinces of Southwestern China, Guizhou, the community prioritized education, despite having little government support.
With no space for school buildings, they turned to the one thing they have in abundance; caves. In 1984, the villagers opened an elementary school in a cave carved into the side of a mountain. Named Dongzhong Mid-Cave Primary, the school catered to over 180 kids. Teachers praised the ‘unique learning environment’ as it bestowed certain benefits. They claim there were better acoustics during singing lessons and a wide variety of fauna for studying biology. They even had a make-shift basketball court to play in during recess.
Unfortunately, the Mid-Cave school was closed by the Chinese government in 2011, stating “China is not a society of cavemen.” We hope they realize that having the cave school was infinitely better than having no school in the region.
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