High up on the Tibetan Plateau, at an altitude of 4,550 meters, a repurposed bus has just become the coolest spot in town—literally and figuratively. The “Oxygen Library,” a brainchild of Hangzhou-based volunteers, has opened its doors at a boarding primary school in Zhaxi Township, Zhidoi County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Set in a remote pastoral region where thin, icy air is the norm, the bus-turned-reading-room comes with its own continuous oxygen supply, letting kids finally read in comfort and peace.

The school, the highest-altitude boarding school in Qinghai, sits in an environment with far less oxygen than at sea level, where biting winds blow year-round. Before, children had to read in standard, unheated classrooms—sitting still for long would leave them short of breath, dizzy, and wiped out. The combination of extreme cold and low oxygen had long been a barrier to focused learning.

That is when the “Light Up Yushu” public welfare team from State Grid Xiaoshan Power Supply Company stepped in. They took an old, decommissioned bus and turned it into a cozy, oxygen-enriched reading space on the high plateau. Inside, original seats were removed, bookshelves and reading areas were thoughtfully set up, and professional-grade oxygen-generating equipment was installed to keep oxygen levels steady and ease altitude sickness. To battle the deep chill, the bus is also fitted with a thermostatic heating system. A solar power unit keeps everything running, creating a warm, oxygen-rich, and energy-self-sufficient environment where reading is a genuine pleasure.

The bus’s 1,600-plus books were all donated by teachers, students, and kind-hearted folks back in Hangzhou, each one carrying a little warmth across the miles. To date, six such “Oxygen Libraries” have been built on the plateau, with more Hangzhou-backed initiatives in the pipeline. This cross-regional, heart-to-heart effort is helping plateau children breathe—and read—easier, giving them a real shot at a brighter future.