Students shiver in freezing classrooms

The thermometer in an elementary school classroom in Guizhou province displays 7 C, and Chinese language teacher Wu Minglan can see her breath as she blows over her cold fingers.

One of the students has a bag containing hot water that he clutches for a while before passing it on.

"I feel terrible seeing my students pass around the hot-water bottle, they are supposed to study in a warm place," said Wu, 44, a member of the Bouyei ethnic group.

"Schools in mountainous areas in the southwest should have heating."

Unlike the north of the country, most provinces south of the Yellow River do not have central heating systems.

"But in many mountainous areas the winter is still cold," Wu said. "I think at least the schools should have heating."

The average winter temperature in Liupanshui, the high-altitude city where Wu lives, is below 10 C.

"In many schools you find students playing clapping games during the break. It is not just for fun, it is because they are cold." Wu said that of eight elementary schools she visited, only three in the city's downtown area have heating.

Schools in the mountains, where night temperatures are often close to 0 C, do not have any heating equipment.

Almost every student in the mountainous areas has chilblains on their ears and hands.

Wu said new school buildings should have insulation, and heating systems should be installed in every school with funds provided by the local government.

"If there is not enough money, parents should contribute."