Twenty-nine years have passed, how is the "big-eyed girl" in the photo doing now?

"Why are you carrying a small schoolbag? I want to go to school. I am not late every day. I love learning and working. When I grow up, I want to make contributions to the people." A "Going to School Song" sang the sentiments of many children Voice.

Twenty-nine years ago, a photo of "I want to go to school" made Chinese people remember the big-eyed girl. At that time, the girl was sitting in the classroom and listening to the class. She was captured by a reporter who suddenly arrived. Her big eyes were full of desire for knowledge, as if she was telling people: "I want to go to school."

The girl’s name is Su Mingjuan. As this photo was published in the media, the girl was sponsored by a cadet named Li Wan from a military academy in Changsha, Hunan to finish elementary school. At the same time, she has also become the image representative of Project Hope. Now 29 years have passed, how is she doing?

1. A peasant girl whose fate changed with a photo

In 1983, Su Mingjuan was born in Zhangwan Village, Taoling Township, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province. Because there are many mountains and little land, Jinzhai Township Historically very poor. My parents made a living by farming, growing chestnuts, fishing, raising silkworms, and raising pigs. In that era, although there were many ways to make a living, the family still lived in poverty.

One day in May 1991, 8-year-old Su Mingjuan walked to school as usual, carrying a charcoal stove. And her so-called school is just an old earth temple, which has been in disrepair for a long time, with incomplete windows and earthen walls. The small charcoal stove can keep her little hands from freezing.

On this day, a newspaper photographer went to Jinzhai County to cover and photograph the Hope Project. He photographed more than 10 villages, and the last stop was at Zhangwan Primary School. He took pictures of the blackboard, the teacher, and the students. He discovered that Su Mingjuan's eyes in the classroom had been moving with his camera. When he pointed the camera at the girl, a pair of big eyes full of longing appeared. The eyes instantly attracted him, and he subconsciously pressed the camera and took a picture of a little girl with big eyes holding a pencil tip and looking straight ahead, full of desire for knowledge.

After the reporter returned, he titled the photo of the big eyes "I want to go to school" and published it in the newspaper. The photo was quickly reprinted by major domestic newspapers and magazines, and later became the propaganda symbol of China's Project Hope.

Three years later, a cadet named Li Wan from a military academy in Changsha, Hunan sent a letter to Su Mingjuan’s principal, saying that he was willing to support her until she graduated from elementary school.

Although the money was not much, it was of great help to Su Mingjuan’s family, and the biggest thing was her spiritual support, which was a letter written by Uncle Li Wan to her. The words dipped in love are still treasured in her little box.

Later, Su Mingjuan received funding from a retired couple from Dalian. However, her kind and loyal father said to her: "We can't take this money because we already have help from others. Your parents can still work and support you and your brother." Finally, she returned the money to the old man. , the elderly did not want it, and after obtaining their consent, she donated all the money to the Hope Project.

No one expected that a photo would change Su Mingjuan’s fate. At the age of 14, she became the youngest representative in the Great Hall of the People and was elected as an alternate member of the Youth League Central Committee. In 2003, she was admitted to the Department of Financial Management of Anhui University as she wished, with free tuition.

2. Su Mingjuan in college

After attending college, since the tuition fees are borne by the state, Su Mingjuan no longer needs funding from others. Since her freshman year, she has been doing work-study studies to cover her living expenses while studying. She has worked as a salesperson and has also done internships in the human resources and finance departments of Motorola headquarters in Beijing.

One summer vacation, as the head of the Student Union Organization Department, she organized several classmates to go to another impoverished village in Jinzhai County to do voluntary teaching work.

This experience touched her a lot. It turned out that while she could sit in a bright classroom and teach, the conditions for children to attend classes were very poor. It was similar to when she was in elementary school. There was no ventilation on all sides. Just a broken roof.

Su Mingjuan also discovered that there was a little girl. She and her mother were abandoned by her father. Because they had no money and no household registration, the mother and daughter could only live in a straw hut under the eaves of other people's homes. Before leaving, several of their classmates collected more than 1,000 yuan and gave it to the little girl.

At this time, Su Mingjuan felt that she was lucky because she received help from so many people because of a photo. In this world, there are still people who are still struggling to survive, and dreams are still a luxury for them.

Perhaps it was this experience that made her decide the path she would take in the future.

3. How is it now?

After graduating from college in 2007, Su Mingjuan, who used to have big eyes, has become a graceful and graceful girl, and was admitted to a bank in Anhui. On June 23 of the same year, she became the ambassador for volunteer recruitment for the Beijing Olympic Games in Anhui.

Su Mingjuan, who has changed her destiny, has lived up to the changes brought to her by the Hope Project. She turned the society's love for her into motivation to repay the society.

On June 12, 2018, Su Mingjuan personally used 30,000 yuan of family savings as start-up capital to establish the "Su Mingjuan Student Aid Fund."

Therefore, in 2018, she was named the National Outstanding Youth.

Now she serves as deputy secretary of the Youth League Committee of the Anhui Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and as a voluntary member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and a member of the 18th Central Standing Committee of the Communist Youth League.

Moreover, every New Year now, Su Mingjuan’s mother would repay those who had helped them by sending pairs of cloth shoes she had sewn and pieces of pickled bacon to the reporter and Li Wanhe. The retired couple also donated 100 yuan to nine college students.

4. Conclusion

Su Mingjuan was undoubtedly the lucky one of that era. There were countless children of her generation who were unable to go to school due to poverty. They had to go early. Working part-time, repeating the intellectual poverty that the previous generation could not escape.

Now, 29 years have passed. Are there still children living in poverty? Maybe there will be a lot less, but there will still be. "I want to go to school" is always the desire of poor children. I hope more love can ignite their hope.

Of course, you have to rely on yourself to work hard. If Su Mingjuan didn't work hard herself, even though she received help from so many people, she would not have the good results she has now.

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