A luxury Hope Primary School built with money donation from China Overseas Group (COG), an overseas subsidiary flagship of China State Construction Engineering Corp., opened Wednesday in Yunyang, southwest China's Chongqing municipality, the Chongqing Evening News reported.

More than 500 impoverished migrant children who were relocated by the Three Gorges project began their first semester in the new school on Wednesday.

The European-styled school was constructed at a huge cost of 3.5 million yuan, or about US$512,000, almost 17 times more than the normal amount of investment a typical hope primary school would cost.

Ran Haiyan, a fourth grade student at the school, told the Chongqing Evening News that she no longer needs an hour to walk to school because she can board at the Hope Primary School. She said the convenient and advanced teaching facilities made her feel very happy.

An official from the China Overseas Group told the newspaper that the group wanted to build the best school for poor children from the mountainous regions and set an example to attract more people to join its Hope Project.

The COG Hope Project often donates money to poor children who are unable to attend school and provides funding for the construction of schools in poor regions in China. The Hope Primary School of Yunyang is just part of COG's latest welfare commitments.

(CRIENGLISH.com August 27, 2009)