China honours education pioneer who lifted 1,800 girls out of poverty
- Educator who founded the first and only free high school for girls in one of the country’s poorest areas captures hearts
- When Zhang Guimei accepted award on national television, her visibly poor health prompted an outpouring of concern
The founder of China’s first and only free public high school for girls – in a poor, mountainous region in the country’s southwest – has been honoured as an inspirational role model in this year’s Touching China awards.
Zhang Guimei, 63, was in visibly poor health when she accepted the award on Wednesday, prompting a wave of sympathy and support on Chinese social media.
Zhang was hailed as a hero during the awards ceremony for her extraordinary achievement in building and operating the High School for Girls in Lijiang’s Huaping county in northern Yunnan province, one of the country’s poorest areas.
The years of hard work and mental pressure have taken their toll on Zhang, who is battling 23 illnesses including emphysema, cerebellar atrophy and skull osteoma.
She was helped from her chair to the stage, where two small children presented her with the award. Her fingers were wrapped in pain-relieving tape. “I cannot open my palms and move my fingers without these tapes. With them, I can move a bit,” Zhang explained to the ceremony’s host Bai Yansong.