Abstract: A survey of 10,356 rural teachers of Yunnan province shows that 79.2 percent of them have the intention of turnover (leaving or moving). Their intention of leaving or moving appears to be a double tendency: "to the city" and "to their own hometown". Young teachers under the age of 30 showed the strongest intention of turnover. On the whole, the higher level their income, the weaker their intention, but the impact of school location cannot be ignored. This paper analyzes the factors which affect the intention of rural teachers' turnover. The survey revealed the factors could be ranked as follows: children's education and family life, welfare and workload, school location and traffic facilities, living conditions, school management and teaching atmosphere, social and working environment. The authors suggest that, in order to retain rural teachers, the government should pay attention to the basic needs of rural teachers, help teachers solve their problems with children's education and couple's separation, raise their income to make teaching jobs more attractive. Furthermore, it's helpful to restart the agenda of "hometown priority" in recruiting and employing rural teachers, to improve rural teachers' living conditions, especially to provide housing welfare to young teachers, and to help rural teachers gain a sense of belonging and achievement.

Key words: rural teachers, teachers' turnover, teachers' intention of leaving or moving