Little girl from remote village bridges education gap in China.In 2007, a picture of an eight-year-old girl named Yu Yanqia crossing a river by zipline for school in China's Yunnan Province drew nationwide attention.
In June this year, after she graduated from Kunming Medical University, Yu, now 23, became a medical worker at the People's Hospital of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in her home town.
One day in 2007, Yu, then a first grader in Bula village in the prefecture, crossed the flowing torrent of the Nujiang River on her own by using a makeshift zipline to get to Bula Primary School. That was a regular routine for Yu and her fellow students at the school as, back then, villagers had to use ziplines to criss-cross the banks of the Nujiang River.
The scene of Yu crossing the river was photographed by a reporter, gaining widespread attention across China. Soon after, several Chinese media companies initiated nationwide fundraising to build a bridge near the school. It went up in 2008 and Yu became the first local to cross the bridge.
With many people throwing their support behind the schoolgirl, Yu then had the opportunity to visit cities including Kunming and Beijing, which helped to broaden her horizons.
"Those people are beacons of hope for me in navigating the dark passages of my life. So I grew more determined to study hard," Yu says. In 2018, she was admitted as a medical student by Kunming Medical University, becoming the first college student in her village.
Over recent years, China's poverty alleviation and rural vitalisation efforts have achieved success on the banks of the Nujiang River. Thanks to the policy and capital support, Yu and her family members took up residence at a new riverside house after moving out of their original home built on a hillside. Yu also received subsidies during her schooling years.
The ziplines used to cross the banks of the Nujiang River were all replaced by concrete bridges by 2016. A highway, dubbed the "beautiful highway," was also built along the Nujiang River while accelerated efforts have been made to develop tourism resources along the banks of the river.
Every day there are drastic changes taking place in the Nujiang Valley, a locality hard to access only a few short decades ago.
"There were so many people who helped me along the way. I wouldn't be where I am without them. I am very grateful to them," says Yu.
She says she will always remember that it was the care and assistance of the nation and its people from all sectors of society that changed her fate and led to the rapid development of her home town. When she entered Kunming Medical University, she became more determined than ever to equip herself well and give something back.
Before graduating, Yu told her teachers that she wanted to go back to Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture and even gave up job opportunities at hospitals located in other places. During a special event for promoting employment in the prefecture, leaders from the university recommended Yu to some employers – and she was hired by the People's Hospital of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture.
Yu says: "I will work hard to contribute what I have learnt to the cause of promoting health in my home town."