Chinese boy with frozen hair gets millions of dollars in support
The story of a Chinese boy traveling a long distance in the harsh winter to go to school touched the hearts of many philanthropists.
According toChina Daily, a sum of 100,000 yuan (nearly 15,500 USD) was sent backLudian County Primary School in Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province on January 10, after the image of the boyWang Fuman caused a stir on Chinese social networks.
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His classmates burst out laughing when the teacher teased the boy that his "hair suddenly turned white". Photo:China News. |
A photo of Wang, 8, shared by principal Fu Heng, shows frost on his hair and eyebrows after nearly an hour of walking., traveled 5 km to school to take the test on the morning of January 8.The boy was wearing only a thin jacket in -9 degree Celsius weather. His hands were bruised and chapped from studying in an unheated room.
Mr. Fu said that day was the first day of final exams and the temperature dropped sharply in just half an hour, while the boy was on his way to school.
Wang lives in a thatched-roof house with his grandmother and older sister. His father went to the city to work as a factory worker to support the family, and his mother left home when he was a baby. Wang said he hasn’t seen his father in several months and misses him very much.
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Little Wang's hands were chapped from the cold. Photo:People's Daily. |
Local authorities and volunteers visited the school and distributed the first batch of winter relief supplies to 81 students. Wang’s father was also offered a job by a construction company in his hometown.
The total amount of money that benefactors have donated to the boy and his school has now reached more than 17 million yuan (2.6 million USD). Many people have expressed sympathy for the boy's situation and encouraged him to study hard to change his life.
Wang is one of millions of children living in poverty-stricken areas of China, and his story highlights the country’s educational inequalities. To get an education, children in rural areas must travel long distances to school and study in unheated rooms in the bitterly cold winter.
Their situation is in stark contrast to wealthy families in first-tier cities who are willing to spend thousands of yuan on their children's extra classes and summer camps. An article in the newspaperGlobal Timesbelieves that rural children, especially those left behind by their parents to work far away, need more educational support.
"Children with financial means have many options for development, but for rural children, education is perhaps the only chance to change their position in society," the article said.
