Rural teachers are celebrated in Sanya, Hainan province, on Jan 5. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Eleven teachers from rural Guizhou province were given 100,000 yuan ($14,454.84) each on Jan 5, at an award ceremony hosted by the Jack Ma Foundation.

The teachers were awarded thanks to their time, dedication, and passionate teaching in rural areas, an often forgotten responsibility. The ceremony, held in Sanya, Hainan province, honored some 100 rural teachers from 13 provinces and autonomous prefectures around the country.

Celebrities, such as Jet Li and Vicki Zhao, were invited to the event by e-commerce entrepreneur, Jack Ma, the founder of Jack Ma Foundation and the Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group.

The foundation’s rural teacher awards plan was launched in 2015 and honored 18 teachers last year. Ma has pledged to donate 10 million yuan each year to carry out the plan.

Ma spent six years as a college lecturer and so teaching is close to his heart. The awarded teachers went through a selection process and were evaluated by local media and the foundation.

Ma explained that he chose Hainan – an island province in South China – to host the awards because he wanted those receiving the prizes to experience the sea.

Wu Shangxing from the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Guizhou picked up an award. Three generations of his family have taught in Liping county for more than 60 years. “I have been teaching for 19 years and I would like carry the cause on,” said Wu.

At the ceremony, Wu brought with one of the handmade hats of the Dong ethnic group to give to Jack Ma as a thanks for his contribution to rural education.