Cold one-hour walk to school cuts no ice with boy

Eight-year-old Wang Fuman in China's Yunnan province braved minus 9 deg C conditions, walking 4.5km for an hour from his home to his school. The temperature had plunged while the boy was already on his way.
Eight-year-old Wang Fuman in China's Yunnan province braved minus 9 deg C conditions, walking 4.5km for an hour from his home to his school. The temperature had plunged while the boy was already on his way. PHOTO: WEIBO

A Chinese schoolboy's determination to get to school despite the harsh winter conditions has taken social media by storm.

Photos of eight-year-old Wang Fuman in class, shared by his principal Fu Heng on Tuesday, show the icicles that had formed on his hair and eyebrows during his trip.

According to reports, the Primary 3 boy braved minus 9 deg C conditions, walking 4.5km for an hour from his home to his school in Zhaotong, Yunnan province, to sit an exam.

In the photo, his classmates are seen looking amused in the background.

"The child is cute. When he arrived in class, he pulled a funny face at his classmates, making them laugh," Mr Fu told the People's Daily news site.

He also said it was the first day of the final examinations, and the temperature had plunged quickly within half an hour, while the boy was already on his way to school.

The boy lives in a mud house in Ludian with his grandmother and older sister, according to an interview with social media site Pear Video.

His family is supported by his father, who is a migrant worker in another city. The boy's mother had left the family.

Other photos of the boy shared on social media show his rough hands, which had turned dry and wrinkly. He also suffered from frostbite.

The boy told Pear Video reporters that he helps his grandmother with farming work, resulting in his rough hands. He also said he missed his father, whom he had not seen for a few months.

Many netizens were sympathetic to the boy's plight, with one Weibo user encouraging him to study hard to change his destiny.

Charmaine Ng

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 11, 2018, with the headline Cold one-hour walk to school cuts no ice with boy. Subscribe