How Art Connects Volunteer Teachers and Rural Children | VIVA LA VIDA x Yanliutun Primary School

On January 31, 2026, VIVA partnered with Yanliutun Primary School in Fenghuang Town, Hunan Province, to host a gratitude-themed art activity for rural children titled “Thank You for Lighting My Way.” Through Life Portraits, children used art to express their gratitude toward their volunteer teachers, preserving memories of companionship and connection.

Here, we move beyond the label of “scarcity” and turn our attention to moments of brief yet profound companionship, expressions that may be clumsy but are sincere, and the hopes and dreams quietly taking root within rural education.

01 A Call from the Mountains

Education is one light illuminating another.

Yanliutun Primary School in Fenghuang Town, Hunan Province is located in a remote area with limited resources. More than 40 children from preschool to Grade 3 mostly grow up without long-term parental companionship. The entire school is sustained by Teacher Youjin Wu, charitable donations, and volunteer support. Volunteer teachers may only stay for a short time, yet they leave indelible marks in the rural children’s hearts.

The purpose of this initiative was to help children preserve those warm moments through painting. While expressing gratitude, they could also feel care and attention from the outside world. More importantly, through creative expression, it aimed to plant a seed in their hearts—a desire to “step beyond their surroundings and explore the wider world”—so that every brief encounter becomes a source of strength on their path to growth. For VIVA, this also represents another step in the “Life Portrait” project’s work in rural education, using art to connect emotions and protect innocence.

Volunteers and students taking a group photo during a VIVA art project

02 When Memories Awaken

At the beginning of the event, the host shared true stories between volunteer teachers and the children: the first time they learned to sound out English words, an assignment that was carefully corrected, and words that were never spoken at the moment of farewell.

Emotions were gradually awakened through the storytelling. The children began to recall specific moments: a voice, a gesture, a figure standing in front of the blackboard.

Students expressing their emotions through art in a VIVA Life Portraits project

During the subsequent free creation session, colors gradually filled the paper.

The drawings were not neat, nor were the lines mature, yet they were filled with sincerity and hesitation—this was the children carefully placing the light in their hearts onto paper.

03 Tender Strokes, Genuine Feelings

Many of the children are not yet able to write full sentences fluently. Some wrote in pinyin, others left spelling mistakes—“老师” (teacher) was mistakenly written as “老帅,” a similar-sounding phrase, and “学校” (school) as “字校,” another phonetic mistake.Yet every stroke carried the weight of their heartfelt gratitude.

Artwork created and displayed by students

A little girl said softly, “I remember Teacher Bingbing.”

She drew a woman seen from behind, her long hair slightly lifted by the wind, and wrote beside it: “She taught us English. The way she said ‘apple’ sounded very nice.” Although she could not fully draw facial features, she used gentle curved lines to outline the teacher’s soft silhouette—this was her clearest memory of “a world beyond” and “the classroom.”

"This is a photo of me and Bingbing from behind."

Through art, these moments reveal that emotion does not need embellishment.What we hear is not a grand educational narrative, but memories of specific people—connected to specific voices, silhouettes, and moments of warmth.

04 The Light That Remains in the Heart

In these drawings, the teachers sometimes appear tall and clear, sometimes blurred, and sometimes just as bright patches of color. Yet beside each one, there is a sentence—complete, fragmented, or written in pinyin:

“Thank you.”

“Wishing my teacher happiness every day.”

“Happy New Year.”

"Thank you, teacher. I’ll draw a picture for you."

"The notes that Teacher Zheng asked us to write down during our English class on the third day."

"Christmas tree"

"Thank you, teacher, for being with us these past few days. We appreciate all your hard work."

"ant nest "

"Happy New Year, teacher!"

"Thank you, teachers, for being with us. We were so happy when you came."

"Wishing you happiness every day, teacher!"

"Wishing you a long and happy life, teacher. Thank you for teaching us English over these past three days."

"A painting for you. "

"Thank you, teacher, for being with us these past few days. We appreciate all your hard work."

"Thank you, teacher, for coming to our school."

"A moment during class "

The children may not fully understand the meaning of “farewell,” but they use colors and shapes to preserve those who briefly accompanied them. These imperfect words and images become, in fact, the most touching language.

These tender yet sincere expressions show us that even under difficult conditions, the seeds of love are still quietly taking root in the children’s hearts.

Volunteers and students sharing a memorable moment together

In the future, we will continue to work with more volunteer teaching teams and schools to bring “Life Portraits” into more rural children’s worlds, ensuring that every moment of companionship is remembered and every stage of growth is warmed by care.

Love, even in its simplest form, has a light of its own.

Mountains and seas may lie between us, but hearts are never apart.

You are warmly invited to leave a message in the comments sharing what you would like to say to the children. We will collect and pass them on together.

05 Brand Introduction

Viva la Vida (VIVA) is a cross-cultural art brand operating in over 60 countries worldwide. It is dedicated to recording life stories through art and promoting cross-cultural understanding and social good. We invite people from diverse cultural backgrounds to respond to the question, “What does your life mean?”through a single artwork, thereby documenting diverse life narratives and fostering cultural dialogue. Over the past eight years since its founding, VIVA has collaborated with organizations such as the United Nations, Coca-Cola, and Tencent to host more than 400 events, collecting over 20,000 “life portraits,” transforming individual expression into a bridge for cultural exchange.

Yanliutun Primary School, Fenghuang Town, Hunan Province

In the shadow of the well-known Fenghuang Ancient Town, the lack of educational resources and the loneliness of children who grow up without long-term parental companionship (left-behind children) also deserve to be seen and cared for. In Yanliutun Village, 90% of the children grow up without long-term parental companionship. Outside the classroom, they long for someone to listen to them and for a window that can lead them to a wider world. The school has more than 40 students, from preschool to Grade 3, and only one teacher, Youjin Wu. The daily operation of Yanliutun Primary School relies entirely on public donations and volunteer support.