A rural teacher said he was motivated to stay determined to his dedication to a career of education by a reply letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping who extended greetings to teachers and educators across the country ahead of Teachers' Day, which falls on Wednesday.
To commemorate the 41st Teachers' Day, President Xi wrote back to eight rural teachers who joined China's national special-post teachers recruitment program, a central government-funded initiative that has sent about 1.18 million college graduates to teach in rural areas of central and western China since 2006.
In his letter, President Xi expressed sincere hopes, and offered warm congratulations and greetings to all teachers and educational workers across China.
Xi urged them to enhance their teaching skills and nurture more capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility, and work skills needed to join and carry on the socialist cause.
Over the nearly past two decades since its implementation, teachers in the program have demonstrated the dedication and sense of responsibility emblematic of people's teachers, Xi noted in the letter.
He called on them to continue upholding their original aspiration in education and guide children toward healthy growth.
Ren Mingjie, a teacher at the Daxinzhuang Primary School based in central Henan's Xinxiang City, is a representative of China's national special-post teachers recruitment program and one of the recipients.
"When I saw President Xi's reply, I was overwhelmed with emotion. This letter is not only an affirmation of us as special post teachers, but an encouragement to the entire teaching profession. I know that this letter carries great responsibility, and it motivates me to stay determined on the path of education, contributing my part to the development of more outstanding talents. On this Teachers' Day, I hope that all teachers will remember President Xi's instructions, uphold the original intention of education, and continually improve our teaching abilities in the classroom," said Ren.
The special-post teachers recruitment program has covered over 30,000 schools, spanning more than 1,000 counties in 22 provincial-level regions.
Xi's reply letter motivates rural teachers to contribute to education
The torch relay for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games began on Saturday morning in Rome, marking the start of a two-month journey ahead of next year's opening ceremony.
The launch ceremony was held at the Stadio dei Marmi, an open-air arena lined with Roman-style statues next to Rome's Olympic Stadium.
At around 09:50, Giancarlo Peris, the final torchbearer of the 1960 Rome Games, brought the flame onto the launch stage. A torch was lit with the flame, and Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 organizing committee, lit the cauldron with it.
The first torchbearer, Italy's Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, lit the relay torch from the cauldron and then ran a half-lap around the stadium to cheers from spectators, officially starting the relay.
Italian fencer Elisa Di Francisca and high jump Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi followed as the second and third torchbearers and completed their relay segments inside the stadium. Tamberi performed a torch kiss with the next runner, Achille Polonara, who carried the flame out of the stadium to begin the route through the city.
The relay will traverse 12,000 kilometers over 60 days across Italy, pass through more than 300 municipalities and feature celebrations in 60 cities, reach all 110 Italian provinces, and light up UNESCO sites along the route.
More than 10,000 torchbearers from all walks of life will take part in the relay, including figures from sectors of sports, culture, film and civil society.
The flame will see Christmas in Naples, New Year in Bari, and return to Cortina d'Ampezzo on January 26, 2026, the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games opening ceremony. The relay will conclude on February 6 at Milan's San Siro Stadium.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games' organizing committee, said the torch relay will strengthen the spirit of peace and hope for humanity.
"ur torch will pass through all cultural heritage sites. So along the way, we'll see both our nation's historical landmarks as well as natural landscapes. But what matters most are the people who embrace the torch as a symbol of peace and hope. Athletes and ordinary citizens carrying the Winter Olympics torch will carry the spirit all the way to Milan," he said.
Torch relay for Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games starts in Rome
