Cegeng, a pupil at a Mongolian school in the Alxa Left Banner, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, joyfully plays with lambs at the sheepfold on April 1. [Xinhua/Liu Lei]

Cegeng is a 9-year-old girl at a Mongolian School in the Alxa Left Banner, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Her family owns a ranch in the pasturing area where China borders Mongolia.

Cegeng and her parents had to return to the pasturing area from town to look after their sheep since the shepherd hired by her parents failed to come back because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Cegeng helped her parents look after the sheep as well as listened to online classes amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Surrounded by the Gobi desert, the mobile phone signal on the ranch is unstable, especially in cloudy or windy days. Cegeng's parents often drove her around to get a signal lest she might miss a lesson. 

In the early spring, it was chilly in Gobi desert. Her parents accompanied her to study in the car to keep her warm when the weather was bad. They felt delighted to hear their daughter recite new Mongolian poems or study new Chinese characters.

In spite of the harsh natural environment, the girl never missed a class. "My biggest dream is to become a doctor, and the second best one is to become a dancer," she said.

Cegeng (R) watches her mother using the mobile phone to listen to an online class. [Xinhua/Liu Lei]

Cegeng (R) begins listening to an online class in the Gobi desert near her home on April 1. [Xinhua/Liu Lei]

Cegeng (L) practices Mongolian dance during a break. [Xinhua/Liu Lei]

Cegeng does her homework at home after finishing the online classes on April 1. [Xinhua/Liu Lei]

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)