Lesson of life's true meaning

Stories of how teachers saved the students and often sacrificed their own lives in the process are already beginning to touch millions of people around the country.

As news broke of how Qu Wanrong died saving a child at a kindergarten in Zundao, a teacher named Jiang Bojing from Hebei province pondered the true meaning of the profession. "What does being a teacher really mean? I hadn't found the answer in the past 10 years of teaching," Jiang told The Beijing News.

"Today I understand that the highest level a teacher can reach is to protect students with his or her own life when faced with life-and-death decisions.