THE STORY HUNTERS

A program that pipes bedtime stories to thousands of left-behind children boarding in rural school dorms is proof that starting small and thinking big can reap real rewards, Xing Wen reports.

Do you believe in the magic of stories? Du Shuang, volunteer-turned-chairwoman of the charity Growing Home, has used her five years of experience to answer this question with a forceful, "yes".

Founded in 2008, Growing Home was initially set up to help the children of rural migrant farmers who move to cities like Beijing and Chongqing to better integrate into urban life.