Yu Xiaodong teaches a girl. [Photo/Xinhua]

Eight volunteer teams and individuals across China received praise recently for engaging in public welfare and spreading positive energy in society.

Let's take a closer look at some of their inspiring achievements.

Yu Xiaodong

Yu runs a guzheng, or zither training school for "left-behind" children in Xiaonanjing Village, Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui province. Her students call her "Guzheng Mama".

She is a former member of a military art troupe and a national first-class zither player.

In 2014, she spent 200,000 yuan on 40 zithers and the establishment of a course in Xiaonanjing.

She taught zither techniques and music education in class, after school and at the weekend, for free.

Many of her students have passed the highest level of the national guzheng grading test before their graduation from elementary school, and they also participated in many domestic performances.

Zhang Xiuli

Zhang, the mother of a child with autism, is the founder of the Xinqihang Support Center for Disabled People in southeast China's Fujian province.

The aim of the center is to help people with autism to shake off desperation and live a more comfortable life.

"Autism cannot be cured with medicine, but we can still help the families of autistic children by exploring and developing children's talents and relieving their pressures," said Zhang.

The support center has established a football club, a roller skating club, a musical band and a ukulele performance group, and set up classes to foster interests and hobbies such as art and dancing.

Dive for Love

Dive for Love, a non-governmental organization that works to protect coral reefs, was co-founded by the Management Committee of Dapeng New District and Mofang, a website for outdoor activity lovers, in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

The purpose of the organization is to promote the construction of a coral protection area in Dapeng and improve the marine ecological environment of Dapeng Peninsula.

Located on the edge of the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia, Dapeng New District was once a paradise for coral. But now, the beautiful reefs have been damaged due to environmental disruption.

The volunteers are all scuba divers. They dive into the sea in their spare time and plant coral reefs on the seabed regularly to rescue the marine ecological environment from desertification.

The organization carries out many activities to promote the restoration of the coral reef ecosystems.

Its two public welfare projects have built a platform for enterprises and the public to participate in protection of the reefs and call on more people to understand and help.

Chai Guoquan and Mao Yaping

Chai Guoquan and Mao Yaping, both from the Yinzhou District of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province, provide free community services for local residents.

Chai, directs traffic at the entrance of the community at 7 a.m. every morning, while his wife, Mao, is in charge of cleaning.

After the morning traffic peak, Chai and his wife lead locals to classify garbage. Then, the couple walk along roads and green areas to pick up rubbish.

In addition to the volunteer service in the morning, the couple take a walk after dinner and check if there is any garbage left again.

"It is just a small and simple thing. The community is a big family, and every member should cherish and care for it," said Chai.

Zhang Jie

Zhang, who was born in the 80s, was the founder of Xinren Social Work Service Center and Club for Mothers and Children in Villages in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province.

Children and mothers gather in the club in their spare time to attend lectures, participate in games and learn flower arranging.

"I want to create a warm home for them," said Zhang.

Led by Zhang, more people have participated in the volunteer team to help people in distress.

By the end of 2017, the service center had provided services to 18,500 people and helped 200 children.

Zhang Changqin

Zhang, who is from Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi province, has established a free breakfast stall which offers meals to sanitation workers.

He set up the first free stall in his own house in January 2015. Zhang said he wanted to do something for sanitation workers since they work from dawn to night to clean the city.

Zhang's breakfast stall provided free breakfasts once a month at first. But now, it provides free breakfast every day, whatever the weather.

"It doesn't cost much to prepare the breakfast. But it is important that sanitation workers can have a hot meal."

Deng Hong

Deng Hong, the vice president of Gaoliangjian Primary School in Hongze District, Huai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, has devoted herself to public welfare for 18 years.

She founded a women volunteers association in 2013.

Her charity activities include picking up rubbish in the embankment of Hongze Lake, sending dumplings to old citizens in nursing homes, and helping left-behind children.

The activities generated great impact. In the past five years, the membership of the association has expanded to about 1,000 people.

Volunteers in Jurong

Sixty volunteers from Jurong City, east China's Jiangsu province, have provided services to many local elderly people living alone in the past six years.

In order that fellow volunteers can better understand the elderly people, they have kept a diary.

They record the physical condition and living habits of the old people, and the time they spent together.

"We clean for old people or take them for a walk; sometimes we cook for them," said Jiang Lijun, one of the volunteers.

She hoped this kind of caring activity can be passed down through the diary.

Zhang Xiuli (C) [Fuzhou Evening News]

The volunteers with Dive for Love

The sanitation workers have free meal in Zhang Changqin's free breakfast stall.

The diary kept by volunteers in Jurong [yangtse.com]