CHENGDU, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Liu Tuchi has donated tens of thousands of books to rural kids in five villages in southwest China and built more than 15 reading rooms in the past 13 years, by collecting and selling garbage.

Liu, 87, gets up at dawn every day and sifts through rubbish bins, seeking anything that could be of value.

"After selling the garbage, I go to book stores to find books," Liu said. When he has enough books, he sends them directly to the kids in the villages.

He's worn out five backpacks in nine years of carrying tonnes of waste on his back. His granddaughter and her roommates have bought him a small trolley to replace his backpack.

Liu was a senior official with the health department of Suining City in Sichuan Province before retiring in 1993.

"I passed by a primary school in remote Qilong Village in 2005 and was shocked by the poor conditions," he said.

With old classrooms, broken desks and a muddy playground, the students barely had any extracurricular books, according to Liu.

"On such a playground, kids were covered with dust on sunny days and mud on rainy days," Liu said.

He immediately withdrew more than 5,000 yuan (790 U.S. dollars) of his savings, and raised more than 8,000 yuan from his family and friends, to donate books to the school. He also paid to concrete over the muddy playground.

Together with local authorities, Liu also bought more than 1,700 books to build "reading corners" in every class in the school.

"In rural areas, children should not be left behind, especially in education," he said.

His work has opened a new chapter in his life. With only a small pension, Liu collects and sells waste such as used water bottles, beverage cans and newspapers, a move which pleases his family.

"My father has always been a good person, and we all understand and support his decision," said Liu Naxin, Lu's daughter.

Liu Naxin works for a magazine in Beijing and helps her father contact non-profit organizations, which provide help in choosing the books, Liu said.

As for second-hand books. Liu gets many from the salvage stations and checks them page by page, cleaning them carefully and ironing out dog ears.

Liu's perseverance and spirit is an inspiration to his friends.

The health bureau in Suining has set up a storehouse specially for the waste Liu collects. Some of his neighbors help Liu transport and sell the waste for free. Some send their old newspapers and magazines directly to his house.

In 2008, Liu started to build reading rooms as he found books alone were not enough to change the lives of rural students.

"Only when the whole village is richer can children enjoy a better education with more books and schools," Liu said.

"Through the reading rooms, farmers can learn skills and access information, which are the bases for acquiring wealth," he said.

Liu's efforts are greatly appreciated. ( According to Yang Lin, head of Chaoshui Village, Liu's donations have enriched the lives of villagers and improved production.

"Grandpa Liu, I will study hard and pay you back when growing up," said student Ye Qiao.

Another student Yang Jiao wrote that she would like to be a person like Grandpa Liu, helping others in rural areas.

"My dad is rich, rich in mind and spirit," Liu Naxin said.

"I hope that more people can enjoy reading," said the old man.