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In the 1970s, more than 800 students filled the classrooms of Cheontae Elementary School in rural Hwasun County.
在20世纪70年代，800多名学生坐满了华顺县农村地区的天台小学的教室。
The school is set among a group of small villages and rice farms in southwestern South Korea.
这所学校坐落在韩国西南部的一些小村庄和稻田之间。
By 2021, the school's population had dropped to just 24 students.
到2021年，这所学校的学生人数下降到只有24名学生。
Without intervention, local officials said, Cheontae Elementary could soon close.
当地官员表示，如果不进行干预，天台小学可能很快就会关闭。
The large decrease is the result of both South Korea's falling birth rate and fast urbanization that has sent huge numbers of young people to the city for better jobs.
学生人数大幅下降是韩国出生率下降和快速城市化的结果，快速城市化促使大量年轻人到城市寻找更好的工作。
The situation is the same for many schools across South Korea.
韩国许多学校的情况都是如此。
Since 1982, more than 3,800 schools nationwide have shut down because of a lack of students.
自1982年以来，全国已有3800多所学校因生源不足而关闭。
Most of the closures have happened in rural areas.
大多数关闭的学校位于农村地区。
In Dojang, a small village about a five-minute drive from Cheontae Elementary, locals understand that their community is on the edge of extinction.
在距离天台小学大约五分钟车程的小村庄斗江，当地人知道他们的社区正处于灭绝的边缘。
"People in their 60s and 70s are considered young here," said 82-year-old Moon Gyeongga.
82岁的文佳景说：“在这里，六七十岁的人被认为很年轻。”
"There is not a single child in this village. Everyone with kids leaves for the city," Moon added.
文佳景还说：“这个村子里一个孩子都没有。每个有孩子的人都去城里了”。
If the community loses its school, there would be almost no hope of bringing in young families.
如果社区失去了学校，就几乎没有希望吸引年轻的家庭。
That is why Cheontae Elementary recently began taking part in a program that brings students from the capital city of Seoul to study in the countryside.
这就是为什么天台小学最近开始参加了一个让首都首尔的学生到农村学习的项目。
Under the program, which started in March 2021, Seoul children study for at least six months in schools throughout the southwestern part of the country.
该项目于2021年3月启动，首尔的孩子们将在该国西南部的学校学习至少六个月。
The mostly rural area has been hit especially hard by South Korea's population crisis.
这个以农村为主的地区受到韩国人口危机的打击尤为严重。
The exchange program is paid for by both Seoul and local government groups.
该交换项目由首尔和当地政府组织共同出资。
So far, Cheontae Elementary has seen hopeful results.
到目前为止，天台小学已经看到了充满希望的结果。
Since it began accepting Seoul students last spring, attendance has doubled to over 50.
自去年春天开始接收首尔学生以来，入学人数翻了一番，超过50人。
Along with saving the school, the increased attendance has brought practical benefits for local students.
在拯救学校的同时，入学人数的增加也为当地学生带来了实际的好处。
Before the exchange program, it was difficult to find enough children to play team sports, like soccer or basketball, said sixth-grader Lim Sung-ju.
六年级学生林成柱说，在交换项目开始之前，很难找到足够多的孩子参加足球或篮球等团队运动。
"I have more hobbies now, and I can experience more things. Basically, I just have more fun," Lim said.
林说：“我现在有更多的爱好，我可以体验更多的东西。基本上，我只是有了更多的乐趣”。
More students also mean the school receives more resources and employees – such as a vice principal who can work on lesson planning.
更多的学生也意味着学校会获得更多的资源和员工——比如能够负责安排课程计划的副校长。
Seoul exchange students benefit, too.
首尔的交换生也从中受益。
They are able to take a break from the overcrowded capital area.
他们能够逃离人满为患的首都地区到这里休息一下。
They can enjoy more outdoor activities, cleaner air, fewer crowds and a less competitive educational environment.
他们可以享受更多的户外活动、更清新的空气、更少的人群和竞争更小的教育环境。
"It's possible to educate the whole person here," said Kim Na-yoon, a Seoul local whose son is in the third grade at Cheontae Elementary.
首尔本地人金娜允的儿子在天台小学读三年级，她说，“在这里可以对人进行全面的教育。”
The exchange students also report feeling less stress away from Seoul, said Hwasun County school chief Lee Hyeong-hui.
华运县学校校长李亨辉说，交换生也表示离开首尔感觉压力较小。
"This is good for all of Korea in the long term," she said.
她说：“从长远来看，这对整个韩国都有好处”。
However, many locals worry the program is only a partial fix.
然而，许多当地人担心该项目只是部分解决方案。
They note it does not deal with the main problem facing rural communities: a lack of income for locals.
他们指出，它没有解决农村社区面临的主要问题：当地人缺乏收入。
"The local population is still not growing," said Park Gong-ryeol, a 67-year-old who has lived in Hwasun County for 18 years.
67岁的朴功烈在华顺县生活了18年，他说：“当地人口仍然没有增长。”
Park supports the exchange program.
朴功烈支持这一交换项目。
He even helps run a housing center for exchange students and their parents.
他甚至帮助管理一家为交换生及其父母提供住宿的中心。
But he said the government should do more to increase the earnings of local farmers who have historically depended on small rice fields.
但他表示，政府应该采取更多措施来增加当地农民的收入，这些农民历来依赖小规模的稻田来获取收入。
Without that kind of intervention, hundreds of rural communities could soon disappear.
如果没有这种干预，数百个农村社区可能很快就会消失。
A March study by the Korea Employment Information Service says 113 of South Korea's 228 cities, counties and districts are at risk of extinction.
韩国就业信息服务机构3月份的一项调查显示，韩国228个城市、县和地区中有113个面临灭绝的危险。
Cho Hee-yeon leads the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
曹喜昖是首尔市教育厅的负责人。
He is also the driving force behind the exchange program.
他也是这个交换项目的推动者。
He hopes this is just the beginning.
他希望这只是个开始。
He wants to one day attract enough students to expand the program to rural areas nationwide.
他希望有朝一日能吸引足够多的学生，将该项目推广到全国农村地区。
"We hope that by studying in rural areas, children will be able to escape the concrete jungle, experience living in nature, develop a second hometown, and grow in a healthier way," he said.
他说：“我们希望通过到农村学习，让孩子们能够逃离钢筋水泥丛林，体验亲近大自然的生活，发展第二故乡，以更健康的方式成长。”
Cho considers the program to be part of a large plan for more balanced, sustainable development in the country.
曹喜昖认为，该项目是该国更平衡、更可持续发展的宏大计划的一部分。
"Korea is traditionally a rice-farming society, but unfortunately some kids these days think rice grows on trees," Cho said, laughing.
曹喜昖笑着说：“韩国传统上是一个水稻种植社会，但不幸的是，现在有些孩子认为水稻长在树上”。
"The goal is to make children remember rural areas even as adults."
“我们的目标是让孩子们在成年后也能记住农村。”
I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
约翰·拉塞尔、阿什利·汤普森为您共同播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
