3-year old daughter embraces father's altruism in Sichuan

(ECNS) -- A video in which a three-and-half-year-old girl hugs the statue of her deceased father in Sichuan has touched many Chinese netizens.

In this video, the little girl kisses her father’s statue with tear-filled eyes.

Her father Zhang Xiaolin died of liver cancer at 39 in 2020. The statue was built to memorize his devotion in helping kids in the mountainous Daliangshan region of southwest China’s Sichuan.

Zhang from Rugao, Jiangsu Province, engaged in public welfare undertakings since 2014. At first, he raised money and materials for children in Daliangshan, then began raising funds to set up schools for them.

With the support of the local education department and kind people, by 2020, Zhang had contributed to the construction of 39 schools for children in Daliangshan, helping supply them with teaching equipment like desks, etc.. Besides, he also recruited volunteer teachers.

In the last few days of his life, Zhang raised nearly 240,000 yuan (about $36,000) for these schools and bought 10,000 masks for his hometown neighbors.

“I promised him I would help him fulfill his last wish to build the 39th school,” said Wu Meili, Zhang’s wife, who has continued his charity work and finished the building of the 39th school for children in Daliangshan.

Wu has taken her daughter to Daliangshan many times to participate in charity events since her husband left the world.

“I take my daughter to Daliangshan every year, trying to plant a kind seed in her heart, and I hope she can learn more about her father,” said Wu.