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 (ACWF), the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) launched the Spring Bud Project in 1989, to improve the education of girls from disadvantaged families. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in 2012, CCTF has implemented the Spring Bud Project — Dream of Future Action, and it has conducted various activities focused on girls' education, safety and health. For more than 30 years, the Spring Bud Project has offered care and support to about 4.2 million in-need girls. After they receive support from the project, the Spring Bud girls never forget to give back to society. With love and concrete actions, the girls have demonstrated the Spring Bud spirit of unremitting self-improvement, striving for excellence, developing stronger virtues and pursuing better lives. Women of China introduced a 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 Mengyinghui is among them.

Zhang Mengyinghui, an interior designer with a digital-technology company, says the Spring Bud Project not only provided her with financial support, so she could complete her studies, but also gave her confidence to overcome difficulties and challenges in her life. 

Zhang comes from Yuehu District, of Yingtan, a city in East China's Jiangxi Province. During her last year of high school, Zhang's mother became seriously ill. Adding to the family's difficulties, Zhang's father lost his job. 

Zhang felt overwhelmed by the changes that were taking place within her family, and she didn't know how she would be able to pay her university tuition fees. 

"It was a huge burden for my family at that time to pay the university tuition. But I didn't want to quit school, and my parents also hoped that I could continue with academic studies. Fortunately, the timely assistance of the project solved my problem, and helped ease the economic pressure on my family. It inspired me to study hard, and to meet the expectations of those who helped me," Zhang recalls. 

Zhang realized she was a grown up when she traveled by train — alone — to get to the university to begin her first year of higher education. At that moment, she told herself she should never give up, no matter how difficult the road ahead was, and that she should strive to create a better life for her parents and become a contributing member of society. 

Zhang cherished the valuable opportunity to attend university, and she studied hard to achieve high scores in all of her subjects. 

She obtained several national scholarships during her university life. Zhang was thankful for the hard-won scholarships, which were not only an acknowledgement of her hard work, but also a source of encouragement for her to be a confident woman. "It is the Spring Bud Project that gives me opportunities to embrace a bright future," she says. 

Zhang was approved to become a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) while attending university. She also participated in various volunteer activities, such as teaching in a mountainous village during her vacations. 

Zhang has remained enthusiastic about charitable causes since she graduated from university. She has made donations to various charitable projects, and she has helped rural children who have coped with difficulties. 

Xiaoxi is one of the children Zhang has helped. The boy's father is physically challenged, and his mother has been suffering for years with chronic and mental diseases. 

With Zhang's support and encouragement, the boy has become optimistic and confident, and he has shown a talent for drawing. 

The positive changes in the boy helped Zhang realize spiritual care is as important as material support when helping children from in-need families. 

"We should not only give more care to children in their daily lives, but also pay more attention to providing them with spiritual care, emotional care and psychological guidance. I will always be grateful for the project, do my best to help children in need, and strive to pass on love and kindness to more people. This is the best way for me to give back to the country, society and family," Zhang says.

Source: CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly December 2023 issue)