The story of a Chinese schoolboy who braved harsh winter conditions to get to school has triggered an avalanche of help for him and his school.
A donation of 100,000 yuan (S$20,500) was sent to Zhuanshanbao Primary School in Zhaotong, Yunnan province, on Wednesday (Jan 10), after photographs of “Snowflake Boy” Wang Fuman drew widespread attention to children from poor rural families, China Daily reported.
Photos of eight-year-old Fuman in class, shared by his principal Fu Heng on Tuesday, showed the icicles that had formed on his hair and eyebrows during his 4.5km walk in freezing temperatures to go to school. The Primary 3 boy had walked for an hour in minus 9 deg Celsius conditions from his home to his school to sit an exam on Monday. Other photos of the boy shared on social media showed his rough hands, which had turned dry and wrinkly. He also suffered from frostbite.
When asked by Beijing News why he went to school on Monday wearing so little, Fuman said: “I have three jackets but I didn’t wear any of them because they were all dirty and not washed yet.” Fuman also said that his school has no heating facilities.
In total, cash donations to help the boy and his school have so far reached more than 17 million yuan (S$3.5 million), according to China Daily. Alongside cash donations, winter supplies and clothing have also been donated to the school and its pupils.
Fuman is among millions of children who live in poverty-stricken areas in China and his story has highlighted the issue of educational inequality in the country.
Hungry for knowledge, students in rural areas often have to trek to a classroom that, in most cases, has no heating in winter. This contrasts with the tens of thousands of yuan that wealthy parents in first-tier cities spend on extra classes and summer camps for their children.
Fuman’s father, Mr Wang Gangkui, told Beijing News that many people have offered to help the family after his son’s photo went viral, but he does not want the boy to think that good things would readily fall onto his lap without having to work for it. Mr Wang wants Fuman to study hard and change his destiny through his own efforts.
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Source: The Straits Times, 12 January 2018