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. Zhang Yongyuan is one of them.

Zhang Yongyuan

The Spring Bud Project has helped many disadvantaged girls continue their studies — and positively transform their lives — over the decades. Zhang Yongyuan, from Northeast China's Jilin Province, is one of the thousands of beneficiaries of the project. 

"The project has charted the direction of my life, and it has provided me with great strength in the expansion of personal horizons and the creation of a bright future," Zhang says. She feels lucky to have been introduced to the Spring Bud Project during the most confused time in her life, and she says she is grateful for charity-minded people, especially for their care and help.

Zhang, 28, is from Wanbao, a mountainous village in Jiaohe, a city in Jilin Province. During her childhood, she never thought she would have the chance to explore the wider world beyond the mountains.

Her family moved to a nearby town in 2006. At that time, her family was in debt because its small business had failed. Also, her mother was in poor health, due to years of overwork. 

Given her family's situation, Zhang, then a middle school student, decided to drop out of school, because she wanted to earn money and alleviate her father's burdens.

Zhang Yongyuan at work

Zhang was overwhelmed when she learned the Spring Bud Project could help disadvantaged girls return to school. She immediately applied for support, and she was admitted to Jilin Girls' School, a secondary vocational school, in Jilin, a city in Jilin Province.

Zhang cherished the valuable opportunity to continue learning, and she performed well academically.

Zhang says studying at Jilin Girls' School transformed her into an optimistic, cheerful and brave person. Many of the teachers at the school shared their overseas-study experiences with their students, and those experiences fostered Zhang's strong desire to explore the outside world.

"The more you learn, the more you realize there is no end to learning. The more great people you have around you, the more you feel you should work harder," Zhang says.

Zhang managed to save money, earned through a part-time job, and with financial assistance from her parents and friends, she moved to the Republic of Korea (ROK) to continue her education, after she graduated from the vocational school.

During her time in ROK, Zhang overcame multiple challenges involving living expenses and linguistic and cultural barriers. "I always believed that knowledge changes lives. At that time, I told myself that I must stick to it and return to my motherland after I finished my studies, and that I should not let down those who gave me a helping hand," she recalls.

Zhang Yongyuan enjoys her leisure time.

Thanks to her overseas experiences, and her linguistic proficiency, Zhang worked for two Korean enterprises after she finished her studies in ROK and returned to China.

Now, Zhang works for a leading Korean firm in the new-energy sector, and she is dedicated to developing Chinese suppliers and promoting the sales of high-quality Chinese commodities in the international market.

Zhang is enthusiastic about participating in charitable activities organized by her company, and within her residential community. She has donated money to help children from disadvantaged families.

"When I was studying in Jilin Girls' School, the teachers not only taught me knowledge, but also gave me selfless care and warmth. I have always hoped to have a chance to be a teacher. I want to influence and accompany children as they grow up healthily," Zhang says. 

To realize her dream of becoming a teacher, Zhang says she is now working hard to improve and enrich her experiences, and she plans to enroll in a graduate program in the future. "I will strive to store more knowledge and positive energy, to better help needy children, light up their lives with love, and help them embrace a bright future," she says.

Photos Supplied by CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly January 2023 issue)