Editor's Note

With the care of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and under the leadership of the All-China Women's Federation, the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) launched the Spring Bud Project in 1989, to help impoverished girls return to school, and to promote girls' education in disadvantaged areas.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in 2012, with the attention and concern of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and with the strong support of Peng Liyuan, special envoy of the Spring Bud Project for promoting girls' education, the project has conducted various activities to care for and support girls, and it has focused on girls' education, safety and health. During the past decade, the project has supported 1.76 million girls, and it has provided one-on-one companionship services and personalized psychological counseling to 133,400 girls. After they receive support from the project, the Spring Bud girls never forget to give back to society. With love and various actions, the girls have demonstrated the Spring Bud spirit of "unremitting self-improvement, striving for excellence, developing stronger virtues and pursuing better lives."

Today, we introduce a new section, Spring Bud Blooms, to share stories about Spring Bud girls who have grown up and become contributing members of society, and to encourage society to care for the development of girls. Wang Yunling​ is one of them.

Wang Yunling at work

"Spring Bud Project not only helped and supported my life and studies, but also made me feel the care and encouragement from society. I was deeply touched," says Wang Yunling, a beneficiary of the project from Central China's Hubei Province.

Wang says the project also provided her with the courage and confidence she needed to address various difficulties, and it helped her recognize the importance of mutual assistance among people.

Wang was born in Zaoyang, a county in Hubei, in 1997. She was an excellent student, and she looked forward to being offered placement in a key university.

Wang's parents fed their family by doing farm work and odd jobs, but their earnings could not cover both the family's daily needs and Wang's high school fees. Nevertheless, they worked hard, and they did their utmost to support Wang's education. Their commitment to her studies inspired Wang to study hard, so she would not let her parents down.

After they learned about her family's economic situation, teachers in her high school helped Wang apply for subsidy from the Spring Bud Project. That was during her first year at the school.

Wang recalls how she was excited, and happy, when she received the subsidy from the project. The subsidy was granted to her annually during her three years as a high school student.

Wang Yunling gives a work report.

Later, she wrote a letter to express her heartfelt thanks to the project, and she shared with other students her gratitude for and stories about the charitable program.

With the help of the project, Wang completed her high school education.

Wang performed well in the national college-entrance exam, and she was admitted to Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL), in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Wang continued to study hard, and she received scholarships, and scientific and technological research awards, at ZUEL. During her time as a graduate student at ZUEL, she wrote two theses — one on the health risks brought about by heavy metals in tobacco, and the other on the assessment of soil pollution — and both were published in leading journals.

Wang Yunling visits an exhibition.

In July this year, after she graduated from ZUEL, Wang became an engineer in a large auto manufacturing firm. She is satisfied with her job, and she looks forward to breaking new ground, with concrete efforts, in the workplace. She says she will strive for excellence, consolidate professional knowledge, and enhance her technical skills in her pursuit of the craftsmanship spirit.

Wang says the Spring Bud Project helped her grasp the opportunity to steer her life. "I am very grateful to have met the Spring Bud Project, which allowed me to receive an education and rely on knowledge to change my life," she adds.

Throughout the years, Wang has studied hard, acquired knowledge, and participated in various charitable and public-welfare activities. She has endeavored to become an upright person, with a thankful heart.

"I cherish my current life now. I will continue to work hard, with a grateful heart, and give back to society with practical actions. No matter what position I am in, I will stand on my own feet, and I will be a contributing member of society," Wang says.

Photos Supplied by CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly January 2023 issue)