In 2012, Yunnan province invested 67 billion yuan ($11 billion) to improve its education system. The figure was a 39 percent increase from 2011 and the highest amount invested in the past decade, according to the provincial department of education. The investment accounted for about 6.5 percent of Yunnan's GDP in 2012, higher than the 4 percent required by the Ministry of Education.

Many of the students in the province live in the mountains, but the schools are located in the townships. Traversing the mountains in the snowy and rainy seasons is a hazardous task.

"Four children died on their way home in 2011. They got lost in the heavy snow and weren't found for several days. Now, parents want their kids to sleep at school to avoid the potential danger," said Li Xiaolong, a captain at Pianma Frontier Inspection Station in Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture, who has been making donations to the impoverished students at Pianma Border Primary School for five years.