Lessons from the villages

"Heze is famous for folk operas, such as Liuzi Opera. And one of the courses the students will take is to learn to sing Liuzi Opera," says Wang.

His vision is shared by two of his friends－Jin Yifei, his schoolmate at Fudan University, and Huang Weihua, a primary school classmate, who are both project partners now.

Both Jin and Huang quit stable jobs to join Wang's team.

Speaking about his decision, Jin, 26, who was born in Shanghai and graduated from Fudan University with a bachelor's degree in political science, before becoming a civil servant, says: "When Xingyu called me about his project last August, I was very interested and impressed because it takes young Chinese students to rural areas, something that is not normally available to them."

Like Wang, Jin is keen on education, poverty alleviation and teaching in rural areas.

Speaking about his experiences so far, Jin says: "When we first arrived in the small village of Xiangxi in mid-August last year, the villagers were very welcoming. They offered us accommodation and trusted us.

"The natural scenery was also breathtaking, which you can never see in big cities."

In 2016, the versatile Wang took part in Jiangsu Satellite TV Station show called Who is Still Standing, the Chinese version of the American TV show with the same title.

And he won first prize.

Now, Wang has about 100,000 followers on his Sina Weibo account.

Speaking about his plans, Wang says: "I want to further my studies. But before that I want to devote myself more to this project, and to have a genuine understanding of the villages and the people there."