A sense of service

Eager engagement

Wang Liding takes her daughter to the center at least once a week.

She was surprised by her child's potent curiosity about ancient architecture during an event at a temple in the neighborhood.

"She was very interested in the explanations. She and other kids listened attentively and engaged in serious discussions with the teachers afterward," says Wang, who lives about a 15-minute motorbike ride away.

"When my daughter got home, she reviewed the information she'd learned and summarized it on her own."

Wang signed her daughter up for all six sessions at the temple, after which the girl was chosen as a young tour guide to explain the site to visitors with confidence.

The girl went on to join the rocket science class and made her own models, and learned about the Earth's composition and the food chain.

"I found that the children's interest in science is much stronger than I imagined. I'm very grateful to Du and his team for providing such a good learning environment," Wang says.

The center's curator, Yao Mengqi, has worked alongside Du for years and considers him to be a man of many talents.

"When unexpected problems emerge during projects, he can always handle them quickly," she says.