Xie Huili in class [Photo/China Tibet Online]

Xie Huili's students called her "Padma", a beautiful name meaning "lotus" in Tibetan. "Now, I even find myself unaccustomed to be called by my Chinese name," Xie explained with a laugh.

As a teacher in the program of aiding Tibet in education, Xie Huili has been teaching in Yamda village located in Tohlung Dechen County for more than one year.

When asked about her life-changing trip last summer, the young lady from Hubei Province said, "My lifestyle has been more Tibetan in the past year, I suppose, much more so than the other aspects."

Last summer Xie toured Tibet, ever since when she couldn't help missing Tibet and finally decided to go back a month later, regardless of anything else.

She became a Chinese teacher in the school named "Mother on Plateau" at Yamda village. It didn't take her much time to adapt herself to the village life in Tibet. She had traditional Tibetan meal with her students in school dining room on the first day of her arrival at the school and danced Gorchom circle dance hand in hand with her students on the following night after the first class.

Now, no nibbles that girls like could be found in her dorm except fruits. "I don't eat those things anymore in order to stay here," explained Xie.

She was assigned another task by the school at the end of this June——to sell the handicrafts of the school. So promoting Tibetan culture becomes another part of Xie's job.