AN AGE OLD QUESTION is always lingering in people's mind — whath is fate?
Those who are born in apartments in Beijing are called Beijing kids while those who are born on the kang in Shanbei cave dwellings are called Shanbei kids. Kids in Beijing have sufficient food and clothes; but Shanbei kids have to worry about dozens of yuan for tuition fees every semester. Could it be said that this is the explanation of fate?
At the beginning of the winter in 1991, I was watching TV with a secretary of County Communist Youth League Committee in a guest house in an impoverished county in Guangxi. On TV a nutriology expert was talking about the trophic structure of urban people. Suddenly the secretary commented with sigh, "Hardly can people here have enough corn porridge to eat while urban people are afraid of getting fat from eating too much meat. What an unfair life…"
The aim of Project Hope is to give those with unfair lives more fairness and send a happy childhood to those children born in poverty-stricken areas.
1.Zhang Shengli: Holding up the Olympic Torch Twice
The torch "Xiangyun" was lighted — on July 31, the relay running with torches of 2008 Olympic Games was going on in Tangshan, the last stop of the relay within Hebei Province.
The fifth torch bearer — the first child sponsored by Project Hope as it just started, Zhang Shengli, Deputy Principal of Central Primary School in Dongtuanbao Township, Laiyuan County, Hebei Province, lifted the Olympic torch high with a brilliant smile on his face. "Today is the eighth day of the countdown to the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games; I am filled with the joy of taking part in the torch relay and the blessing for the Beijing Olympic Games as well. I hope the five-star red flag will rise more times during the Games. May Beijing Olympic Games gain a great success!"
In the shouts of joy, Zhang Shengli ran through his section of this sacred relay.
This scene easily reminded us of the similar moment twelve years ago. On June 12, 1996, in the torch relay of the United States Atlanta Olympic Games, three Chinese children holding holy Olympic torches came to the spotlight of the whole world. The three children were the representatives of 1.25 million students sponsored by Project Hope and Zhang Shengli was one of them.
In front of the beautiful Niagara Falls, the last Chinese torch relay runner, Zhang Shengli ran along the alien road. Whilst running on the road in this forest city, he felt as if he was in a dream. More and more overseas Chinese with yellow skin and black eyes were gathering along the track, waving the five-star red flag and yelling "Come on!"
The moment Zhang Shengli saw the national flag, he was moved to tears. After completing his 1000-meter section, he went on running along the falls while waving a national flag and his heart pondered over the meaning of "national honor" . No words could he employ to express his feelings at that moment. He only knew that on that day, he ran a lot but felt no fatigue.
After returning to China, Zhang Shengli and two other companions donated the three Olympic torches to the China Youth Development Foundation. In the letter they wrote to the 1.25 million students sponsored by Project Hope. They said, "We solemnly donated these three valuable and meaningful torches to the China Youth Development Foundation in order to express our appreciation for people's solicitude and support for Project Hope. What's more, we do hope the torches can inspire all students sponsored by Project Hope to grow healthily and strongly."
Project Hope renders Zhang Shengli be the Olympic torchbearer twice;
Project Hope changes Zhang Shengli's fate!
There was such a scene in the past…
Zhang Shengli was crying broken-heartedly. Tears were running down from his face, a sallow and emaciated face — he dropped out of school due to a shortage of money.
Taomugeda Village was located in Jiucai Mountain. The climate was harsh since on the high mountains, there were eighty days of frost out of one year. People there had no choice but to plant oats and potatoes and the grain they harvested a year could only support them for half a year. Generations of mountain people there had a profound impression for the word — poverty! There were six people in Zhang Shengli's family. His father had long been ill and his mother was a mute. He had two younger brothers and one younger sister. Even if his parents worked hard in the fields until their backs can't even straighten up, the family still could not have enough to eat. In their house, except for a kang, the top of a kitchen made from clay and a water vat with a broken mouth, there were no other decent furniture. Every time it came to the start of a new semester, his parents were always worried about the ten or twenty yuan tuition for his younger brothers and him. Zhang Shengli was a thoughtful child and he would like to do anything to alleviate his parents' burden. He even collected the hair and nails of his families for sale. However, how much could he earn by selling that?
