XI'AN - A village's primary school built with donated funds has been turned into an auto dealership, and villagers say the local government in Weinan, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, must intervene.

The zone's administrative committee is taking action to regain the school, Yan Feng, office director of Weinan Hi-Tech Development Zone's social affairs bureau, which is in charge of education, told China Daily on Monday.

Those measures include having any construction for the dealership removed from the school, Yan said. In addition, the bureau is urging the village managing committee to rescind the lease and prepare for the students to return.

"The pupils are expected to return to the school before the end of March, for there are a number of matters that need to be worked out between the village and the auto dealer," Yan said.

The school, Zhaocun Yifu (Run Run Shaw) Primary School, was built in Zhaocun at a cost of 1.9 million yuan ($302,000), of which more than 254,000 yuan was donated from a fund of the Hong Kong philanthropist Run Run Shaw. The rest of the money came from a local government bureau and the village.

Construction was completed by the end of 2009, and about 100 students from the village had lessons in it for two weeks in May 2010. They were then sent back to their old school.

A primary school building donated by a Hong Kong philanthropist is turned into an auto dealership in Weinan, Northwest China's Shaanxi province. Du Honggang / Xinhua