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Filming/Xie Baotong Wang Sining
Trainee journalist Huang Yuhan
"The year I met General Zhao Weizhong, I was about the same age as you are now. It was he who changed my life and brought me hope......" At 9 o'clock in the morning of April 25, the farewell ceremony of the body of "General Hope" Zhao Weizhong was held at the Babaoshan Funeral Home in Beijing, the day before the classroom of the sixth grade of Wang Er Elementary School Hope Primary School in Shangzhuang Village, Laiyuan County, Baoding, Hebei Province, a farewell ceremony spontaneously organized by teachers and students of the school was being held. Zhang Shengli, the "first person to receive assistance from the Hope Project", came here and told the children with deep affection the touching story of General Zhao Weizhong's love and hope during his lifetime.
In October 1989, Zhang Shengli, a student of Taomu Pimple Primary School in the depths of the mountains in Laiyuan County, received the first batch of "subsidized school certificates" of the Hope Project, completed primary school and junior high school with the financial support of the society, and was also sent to Shanghai to study as a teacher, and his fate changed. In 1997, Zhang Shengli, who graduated from university, gave up the opportunity to work outside the country and returned to his hometown to teach, so that "hope" could continue in his hometown.
In Wang Er Xiao Hope Primary School, Zhang Shengli is sharing his story with his classmates. (Huang Yuhan/photo)
"General Zhao is the honorary principal of our school, and he has also provided assistance to many hope primary schools in Laiyuan County. Zhang Shengli walked up to the podium with a yellowed old photo and told the students the story of General Zhao Weizhong: "He had been fighting for half his life and could have lived a long life after retirement, but he chose to devote himself to the Hope Project, and through personal donations and mobilization of social forces, he raised more than 10 million yuan in donations, helped build 35 Hope Primary Schools, and funded more than 5,000 poor students." He used every penny he saved to support the Hope Project, and even moved his family from Beijing to Shijiazhuang, where he lived in a modest house and wore shabby clothes. "He often wears a little red hat with the words 'Hope Project Volunteer' and 'Hebei Provincial Children's Foundation' written on it, and introduces himself as 'Hope Project Volunteer of Hebei Provincial Military Region'......
Zhang Shengli choked up several times, and when the news of General Zhao Weizhong's death was mentioned, the students sitting in the audience had already cried silently.
"When I grow up, I want to be like Grandpa Zhao, wear this little red riding hood, devote myself to public welfare, and use my strength to help others. Student Zhen Junjie wiped the tears from his eyes and pointed to the little red riding hood on the podium with the words "Hebei Youth Volunteers" written on it.
"Grandpa Zhao's life is great, and he has brought hope to countless poor children in the mountains. Student Guo Yutong looked at the photo of General Zhao Weizhong on the blackboard, and said with a firm gaze: "I want to study hard and cherish this hard-won learning opportunity." ”
In the Central Primary School of Dongtuanbao Township, Laiyuan County, all the teachers and students of the school saluted together to pay tribute to General Zhao Weizhong. (Huang Yuhan/photo)
At the same time, in the Central Primary School of Dongtuanbao Township, Laiyuan County, all the teachers and students of the school bowed their heads on the playground and stood silently together. The low sound of mournful music slowly sounded in the campus, and the sad emotions permeated the campus, and everyone silently said goodbye to General Zhao Weizhong in their hearts.
In 2005, the teaching site in the mountainous area was withdrawn and integrated, and it was transferred to the Central Primary School of Dongtuanbao Township. Zhao Fei, secretary of the party branch and principal of the school, took the reporter into the "Hope Project Exhibition Hall" in the school, which was full of photos related to the Hope Project, and also placed materials such as the "Hope Project Pair Rescue Card". "Today, our classrooms are bright and spacious, and we have all the facilities we need to teach and learn. All primary and secondary school students in Laiyuan County enjoy the national policy of 'two exemptions and one subsidy', and there will never be any children who drop out of school due to poverty. General Zhao Weizhong sent hope into our mountains, and we must also pass on the will of the general so that the 'flower of hope' will bloom forever." Zhao Fei said.