Focus

From sorrow to great expectations for student

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-30 07:49

Zhang Long holds the picture of his father, miner Zhang Yuesheng, who died of black lung disease in 2006, in this file photo. Zhang Long, 15, now studies hard at school and is sponsored by a China Daily reader. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Editor's note: Zhang Long is the son of Zhang Yuesheng, a miner who died of black lung disease in 2006.

Zhang Long knows working hard at school is the only way to escape the poverty of his village, but for years the thought of going to college felt like a pipedream.

Now, thanks to a kind Beijing benefactor, it could become a reality.

Zhao (he did not want to be identified), a China Daily reader, contacted the paper shortly after a report about the plight of miners in Gulang county, Gansu province. He wanted to help Zhang, 15, whose father died of black lung disease after 13 years down a gold mine.

Although the boy's education is free, Zhao sponsors him to the tune of 100 yuan ($15) a month to cover living costs. He has also promised to pay for his further education, including high school and college.

They talk on the telephone every Saturday afternoon. "He tells me how to study better and reminds me not to be too thrifty," said Zhang, who has so far received 600 yuan. His mother, Shang Huazi, said the family has really appreciated the help.

In February this year, Zhang told China Daily how he tries to comfort his mother by getting good examination scores. On the wall in his living room are certificates for winning mathematics competitions, while he was also ranked third out of 300 students in his grade at middle school.

Every weekend, he walks 8 kilometers home. He never takes a bus so as to save money.

"I will study hard and never take the road my father did," said the teenager. "The help of Zhao is definitely a driving force."

Two more black lung sufferers have died since February, leaving their families in financial and mental difficulties.

Shang now picks cotton in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to make extra money and pay the 70,000-yuan debt - 20 times more than her yearly income - that was built up during her husband's treatment.

"I plan to invite Zhang to Beijing during the winter vacation and I'll show him around," Zhao told China Daily. "The only thing I want is a better life for him."

Hu yongqi

To read the original story, visit: www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-02/08/content_9440937.htm