China awarded the title of the "Most Beautiful Teachers" of 2026 on the 42nd Teachers' Day on Sept 10. Among the 25 educators selected was Ma Cuiling, a chemistry teacher at Shizuishan No 3 Senior High School in Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
Ma, who has been teaching for 35 years, was excited upon hearing the news: "I want to thank my students. Actually, every teacher is beautiful, and the most beautiful thing is our career in education."
Ma Cuiling conducts experiments with her students. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
After graduating from Beijing Normal University in 1991, Ma decided to return to her hometown and become a teacher. She hopes to help more children in her hometown broaden their horizons and discover a wider world.
In Ma's eyes, education is not about producing students to a uniform industrial standard, but about nurturing each one with the care of a farmer tending crops.
The high school's "Protium, Deuterium, Tritium" chemistry club has sparked an interest in chemistry among many students. Ma volunteered to lead the club, using her spare time to teach students about laboratory safety and basic experimental techniques.
But alongside strict safety rules, Ma also believes in giving students the freedom to explore. During a bromine water extraction experiment, her students couldn't find the separating funnel, but they managed to successfully complete the experiment using hoses and test tubes. Rather than stopping them for deviating from standard procedures, Ma recognized their ingenuity and valuable spirit of exploration.