As Life in China wants stories from everyday Chinese, I thought I'd share some pictures taken on a recent volunteer trip I took to a village in Henan province, an inland region in the heart of China. I hope these pictures will resemble how people of different walks of life live on the vast rural land of China, which is outside the occasional newsworthy moments and the major metro centers.

Parents of kindergarten students rushing in to pick up their kids after school. (This is the school we were helping to build a library for, which incorporates kindergarten students onto its premise.)

A turtledove one of our team members saved from an abusive boy in a household, when we were doing home visits. The interesting thing here is, the boy's sister was our student, whom we couldn't convince to stop his brother, because as their mother said boys are the crown jewels of families. To my surprise, male superiority is still holding strong, especially in agriculturally dependent families.

A farmer driving into the local farmers' market. The propaganda on the entrance reads "Down to the Basic Social Hierarchy, Visit the People, Solve their Problems, and Promote Development".

A load of watermelon for sale on the street.

Two farmers loading this year's wheat harvest into their truck, just outside the window of our library at Liumangang Elementary School, Henan.

Kids playing with us in the school courtyard during recess.

Monday is the school's national anthem day. The students are giving their tributes as the Young Pioneers of China.

A street-side vendor selling different preserved vegetables in Kaifeng, Henan province.

A night market vendor preparing his noodles for tonight's guests.

A fleet of soldiers on their way back to base after training in Kaifeng, Henan province.