In the era of rapid development of information, a graduate student has been missing for 13 years, what kind of sadness is hidden. Hong Zhiyong, the son of a poor family born in Anhui, started from scratch and was admitted to the ideal Tsinghua University all the way with his own efforts. Behind his success, there is endless waiting from his family and misunderstanding from society. Why did a Tsinghua graduate student with high hopes suddenly evaporate from the world, disappearing with his family's hopes and dreams?
Hong Zhiyong began in December 1977 in a small village in Susong County, Anqing City, Anhui Province. It was a poor but dreamy family, and despite the limited conditions, the family pinned their hopes on him. Hong Zhiyong's talent for learning since he was a child made him the pride of the village, and the feeling of being called "someone else's child" may have been his early determination to change his fate.
Hong Zhiyong's learning path has not been smooth. Due to the poverty of his family, his sister Hong Zhiyun had to drop out of school early, pinning all her hopes on him. Hong Zhiyong is introverted and not good at communicating with people, but his thirst for knowledge is like a burning flame, and every summer vacation, he always spends his stuffy attic studying books, as if it is his only window to the outside world.
1995 should have been an important turning point in Hong Zhiyong's life, the college entrance examination. The family's financial situation has made this dream almost out of reach. Faced with the opportunity to send free students to Normal University, Hong Zhiyong's heart is undoubtedly conflicted. His dream is Tsinghua, but the reality is that he is a teacher. Under the persuasion of his mother, he chose the latter, a decision undoubtedly out of desperation, but also a kind of assumption of family responsibility.
In 1999, Hong Zhiyong successfully graduated from Normal University and was assigned to a middle school in Bozhou, Anhui Province. Here, instead of giving up on his dream, he continued to work hard to prepare for the master's exams. According to his cousin Hong Liang's recollection, Hong Zhiyong was the kind of person who must do it to the end once he decides. Whether it was the Tsinghua dream in high school or the graduate school exam later, he never gave up.
In 2002, Hong Zhiyong was finally admitted to the School of Computer Science of Tsinghua University, which he dreamed of, with excellent results. This news, like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, immediately caused a sensation in the village. For a small village, this is undoubtedly a great honor. Hong Zhiyong's life at Tsinghua University is not as glamorous as the outside world thinks. As a student from a rural area, he encountered many challenges both academically and in life. Most of his classmates come from prestigious universities across the country, and many of them come from very different backgrounds. Hong's introverted personality makes him seem particularly withdrawn in such an environment, and he spends more time in libraries and laboratories.
Just when Hong Zhiyong seemed to be about to start a new life, fate gave him a heavy blow. In 2005, his father was diagnosed with cancer. This is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for a family. The double pressure of poverty and illness has put Hong Zhiyong's psychology under great pressure. Although he tries to escape reality through his studies, the pain and helplessness in his heart are always a lingering shadow.
Under the influence of his father's illness, Hong Zhiyong's academic and mental state had serious problems. He began to wonder if his choice was worth sacrificing family and personal happiness for the sake of a so-called "success". This kind of ideological struggle made him fall into deep self-blame and contradictions.
In 2007, the news came that shocked the whole family, and Hong Zhiyong was missing. Just as he was about to finish graduate school, all of a sudden, there was no news. Family, friends, and classmates are all worried about him. They tried a variety of methods, including calling the police, posting missing person notices, and asking for help on social media, but nothing came of them.
In the years since he went missing, Hong Zhiyong's family has been almost desperate. His father's health deteriorated and his health deteriorated, and his greatest regret was that he was not able to see his son at the end of his life. Hong Zhiyong's mother also washed her face in tears day and night because of her son's disappearance, she could not accept such a cruel reality, and often could not sleep at night.
In the family, only Hong Zhiyun's sister tried to keep a trace of calm. In addition to her heartache, she was more worried about her brother's safety. Hong Zhiyun recalled that Hong Zhiyong has always been a person who values love and righteousness, and his loss of contact may be related to the conflict and pain in his heart. Perhaps, he just wanted to find a way out of all the stress.
As time passed, Hong Zhiyong seemed to become an unfinished mystery. The elders of the village often mention him, lamenting the injustice of fate and silently praying for him. And in the outside world, the story has also attracted the attention and sympathy of many people. People began to reflect on the disappearance of such a talented young man, and behind his disappearance, there is still untouchable pain and helplessness in some corners of our society.