With its impressive question mark-shaped teaching building, the No 5 Elementary School of Kangbashi district, Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has always adhered to its education philosophy that learning starts with asking questions.

What also make the school stands out are its well-designed extra-curricular activities. Its students can choose from a variety of art courses to study, be it oil painting, Chinese calligraphy, or paper cutting.

A student's oil painting is displayed on the wall of the No 5 Elementary School of Kangbashi district. [Photo by Xie Fang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Combined with different topics such as Party history, Chinese classics and ethnic cultures, these art courses also boost pupils' patriotism, national pride and sense of ethnic unity.

The No 5 Elementary School of Kangbashi district displays a student's Chinese calligraphy work. [Photo by Xie Fang/chinadaily.com.cn]

The school's elaborate course design not only demonstrates its commitment to quality education, but also epitomizes the resolve of Ordos, known for its premium woolen clothes and rich natural resources such as coal and rare earth, to turn the district into an education powerhouse. And the resolve can also be found in its kindergartens.

At Kangbashi's No 10 Kindergarten, a large playground of about 10,000 square meters is divided into a number of sections where kids can play field hockey, impersonate different professions such as doctors, experience various landscapes like beaches, and even learn how to establish a harmonious relationship with animals.

Children at the No 10 Kindergarten of Kangbashi district paint a log cabin on the playground. [Photo by Xie Fang/chinadaily.com.cn]

According to its teachers, the goal of the kindergarten is to let kids grow up happily in a natural environment rather than be confined to classrooms.

Kangbashi's persistent effort and its innovative approaches to education have been recognized by China's central government as the district was named by the Ministry of Education as one of the 60 national-level demonstration zones for applying and promoting excellent teaching methods this year.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, Kangbashi saw a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of its schools. By the end of 2020, it had 34 school and non-school educational institutions which together had over 25,000 students.