Special fund in honor of heart-toucher
By Guan Xiaofeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-20 06:27

A special fund has been set up to support students who are suffering hardships in honour of a youngster whose bravery has touched countless hearts.

Several media outlets have reported the story of Hong Zhanhui, a 23-year-old college student in Huaihua of Hunan Province. Hong has been raising an adopted sister while looking after his mentally ill father after his mother walked out on them.

Hong Zhanhui plays with his younger sister Hong Chenchen. Chenchen is an abandoned girl and was adopted by Hong's family when she was little. [Xinhua]

While Hong, from Central China's Henan Province, constantly refuses public donations, wellwishers have come forward to help him and his family.

On Saturday, Hong's father was sent to the Luoyang Second Rongkang Hospital for free treatment provided by the hospital.

At the same time, Hong was sent to a hospital in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, for free treatment as he had almost lost the sight in his left eye.

One of the biggest developments, however, is the launch of a fund named after Hong at Huaihua College, where he studies.

College bosses set it up at Hong's request, to give financial aid to poor college students across the country with good characters and academic performance. An initial sum of 100,000 yuan (US$12,345) has been put into the fund.

Xu Yunzhao, vice-governor of Central China's Hunan Province, also went to the hospital when Hong was being treated to award him a national scholarship of 4,000 yuan (US$494) on behalf of the Minister of Education to reward his spirit of endurance and courage.

The Hunan education authorities have promised to financially support Hong to study as far as he can.

Huaihua College, where Hong is pursuing a three-year associate diploma, has decided to recruit him into a bachelor degree programme with one more year's of study.

In a public thank-you letter, Hong said he was just doing what he should do in helping his family.

He said he declined public donations because he himself had passed the worst time and there were many other disadvantaged people who needed help much more than him.

"The most important thing is to face the hardships bravely and change the inferior condition with one's perseverance," Hong said.

Hong was born in 1982 and grew up in a poor rural family in Xihua County.

In 1994, Hong's father was struck with an intermittent mental illness, and would often disappear without warning. After one morning searching, Hong, then aged 12, found his father far away from the village, holding an abandoned baby girl in his arms.

The family adopted the girl, naming her Chenchen.

A year later, Hong's mother walked out because of beatings she suffered at the hands of her mentally ill husband. Hong's younger brother also left the family shortly afterwards.

Hong has since shouldered all the burdens on his own: to treat his father's illness, to bring up little Chenchen, and to educate himself.

He went to a senior high school in 1998, about 20 kilometres away from his village.

Hong rented a room nearby so that he could take better care of Chenchen.

To raise money, Hong would walk at weekends to a nearby book market nearly two hours away to buy textbooks from wholesalers and sell them in his school. During one journey there, his left eye was damaged when he was attacked by thugs.

Over the next few years, Hong split his time and energy between schooling and working, before being accepted into the Department of Economic Management of Huaihua College.

Last summer, after learning of Hong's hardships, the college provided a special room for Hong to take care of his sister.

He has now been able to send her to a primary school in the city of Huaihua.

Hong's mother has now returned home and his long-lost younger brother has got back in contact too.

Hong said his biggest wish is to cure his father's illness and to send Chenchen to college in the future.

(China Daily 12/20/2005 page3)