This ** is familiar to everyone, taken in Zhangjiawan Primary School in Anhui Province 31 years ago. Su Mingjuan, the little girl in **, is concentrating on class. Suddenly, an uncle walked into the classroom with an unfamiliar machine, and she thought that her superiors had come to inspect it, so she listened more attentively.
With a "click", the moment was frozen forever. Su Mingjuan never dreamed that this second would change her life. Soon after, the "I want to go to school" Hope Project publicity photo swept the country and attracted wide attention from the society.
Su Mingjuan: 31 years later, what is her life and experience? In 1983, Su Mingjuan was born in Zhangwan Village, Taoling Township, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, an ordinary rural family.
Zhangwan Village is located deep in the mountains, land is scarce, and each family can only get a small part, so life is very difficult. Su Mingjuan's family conditions are no exception, and the harvest from the land can barely sustain the whole family for three months.
However, it was ill-fated. Although Su Mingjuan's father, Su Liangyou, got up early every day to catch eels in the river under the Meishan Reservoir, his income was meager and he could barely make ends meet.
Despite the hardships of life, Su Mingjuan remains optimistic and positive, eager for knowledge and a future. Today, 31 years have passed, and Su Mingjuan's life has undergone earth-shaking changes.
She has become the founder and spokesperson of the China Poverty Alleviation Association "Su Mingjuan Scholarship", committed to helping children in poor areas receive education and change their destiny.
With Su Mingjuan's efforts, this ** has provided help to poor students across the country, and has funded more than 30,000 students in total. Su Mingjuan also often walks into the school to share her story with students, encouraging them to face life positively and pursue their dreams.
Today's Su Mingjuan is a selfless public welfare person, although her life is no longer difficult, she has never forgotten her original intention, always cares about the children in poor areas, and conveys love and hope with practical actions.
In remote mountain villages, feudal patriarchal ideologies are deeply rooted, and most girls seem to have been destined from birth. They firmly believe that "a woman's lack of talent is virtue", and believe that girls do not need too advanced knowledge, and finding a good family to live a stable life is their greatest pursuit.
When girls grow up, in addition to helping with farm work, marriage or going to the city to work is their main way out, and few parents send their daughters to school. However, Su Liangyou, a simple farmer, although he has never left the mountain village, his thinking is not conservative.
He deeply understands that reading can change his fate. Even if Su Mingjuan is a girl, he wants to send her to school, hoping that she will have the opportunity to live a better life in a big city by studying hard.
Su Mingjuan's home is six kilometers away from Zhangjiawan Primary School, and in order to go to school, she needs to leave her home an hour early every morning and make a round trip to the rugged mountain road four times a day.
Despite the rough road, Su Mingjuan's thirst for knowledge could not be stopped. She has never complained about the difficulty of her education, but under the trick of fate, she faced the dilemma of tuition fees.
The tuition and miscellaneous fees of nearly 100 yuan per semester are a heavy burden on her family, and she almost dropped out of school many times because she couldn't pay the tuition, but each time, with the support of her father, they borrowed money from everywhere and cobbled together the funds for studying.
Until one day in April 1991, the arrival of photographer Xie Hailong changed Su Mingjuan's life. He paid attention to basic education in rural areas and decided to record these precious images with his camera.
He has traveled all over the country, spanning more than 20 provinces and more than 100 counties, and has taken many excellent photographic works. Xie Hailong has seen many rural poverty and backwardness, and when he came to Zhangjiawan Primary School and looked at the dilapidated land temple, windowless classrooms, and even no lights, his heart was deeply touched.
New copywriting: Su Mingjuan was taking a Chinese class seriously when she suddenly saw a figure at the door. She thought it was the superior who came to check and focused more on the class.
However, the moment Su Mingjuan looked up and saw it, Xie Hailong was also attracted by the big-eyed girl in the first row. The girl's eyes revealed a deep desire for knowledge, and Xie Hailong was deeply moved, so he immediately adjusted the lens, aimed at the girl, and pressed the shutter.
Su Mingjuan didn't realize the existence of the camera, only a little curious about the rapid "click" sound, and didn't know how this ** would change her life. A year and a half later, in October 1992, at the "Project Hope Documentary Photography Exhibition", Xie Hailong's "I want to go to school" photographic works shined.
The most eye-catching in this group of works, which has become the publicity symbol of the "Hope Project", is the "Big Eyes"**According to the survey of "The 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China Photography in Our Memory", the "Big Eyes Girl" of the Hope Project was rated as the most touching in the past 50 years**.
Photographer Xie Hailong became popular because of this, and Su Mingjuan in ** also became famous. However, people at the time did not know the true identity of the "big-eyed" girl, including the person concerned, Su Mingjuan, who did not realize that she had become a "celebrity" until three years later.
On May 17, 1994, at Zhangjiawan Primary School, the teacher suddenly called all the girls to the principal's office, and the morning class was urgently interrupted.
The principal showed a People's Liberation Army newspaper with a ** of "big-eyed girl" on it, and he asked everyone: "Who among you is this girl?" Su Mingjuan looked at **, although she didn't recognize that it was herself, but she noticed that the red plaid dress the girl was wearing seemed to be similar to one of her own.
She looked around and saw that no one had claimed it, so she replied, "Teacher, that dress looks like mine." The principal was very excited when he heard this, he walked up to Su Mingjuan, held up the newspaper and asked kindly, "Are you sure it's this dress?"
Can we find it? Su Mingjuan couldn't be sure, she could only answer: "I'm not sure either, let my mother go home and look for this dress." ”
After returning home from school, Su Mingjuan mentioned the matter to her mother, and her mother finally found the red plaid dress with great difficulty. When Su Mingjuan appeared at school in her clothes the next day, the protagonist of ** was determined to be her, and the principal also explained to her what happened.
It turned out that Li Wan, a military cadet in Changsha, Hunan Province, had a strong desire to protect after seeing the "big-eyed girl" in the newspaper, and decided to sponsor the little girl to go to school.
However, the key problem is that he does not know who this little girl is. After many inquiries, he finally knew that ** was filmed in Zhangjiawan Primary School in Anhui Province, so he sent a newspaper and a letter to the principal.
A letter, full of hope. Li Wan promised in the letter that he would send Su Mingjuan tuition fees every semester, and this warmth in the snow illuminated Su Mingjuan's poor family.
She cherished every letter from Li Wan and was moved by his spirit of "great love", and those letters became the spiritual pillar of her hard work. Soon after, she received donations from a retired couple in Dalian, who encouraged Su Mingjuan to study hard.
However, more and more donations have put Su Mingjuan's father under tremendous psychological pressure. Su Mingjuan's problem of going to school has been solved, but the burden of supporting the family is still heavy.
She decided to donate the extra money to Project Hope in the hope that it would help more children.
In order to give back to those who changed Su Mingjuan's fate, her mother would send hand-made cloth shoes and home-cured bacon every year. These actions were like a beacon that illuminated the way forward for Su Mingjuan in the darkness and made her deeply understand the meaning of gratitude.
In her young heart, this seed of gratitude had taken deep roots. Since Su Mingjuan's identity was reported, some reporters often come to interview her and invite her to participate in various activities.
She understands that in addition to studying hard, she can also repay Project Hope by cooperating with the publicity, so that more underprivileged children can have the opportunity to receive education. In 1996, Su Mingjuan was invited to Beijing to participate in the 45th anniversary celebration of China Youth Daily.
There, she met the secretary of ***, who was the first secretary of the Communist Youth League at the time, who was very concerned about her, and the two talked for a long time. This encounter made Su Mingjuan feel the love and support of the party and the country for her, and also strengthened her determination to repay the society.
After a long time, Su Mingjuan learned the identity of the *** secretary. Recalling that time, she felt that the uncle was very kind. Three months later, Su Mingjuan came to Beijing again and shared her story through CCTV's "Zhengda Variety Show" program.
After the program was broadcast, her story was known by more people, and it also caused the group of poor students to attract wider attention from the society. In just a few years, more than 60 hope schools have been established in Jinzhai County, and nearly 10,000 poor students have received funding from the Hope Project.
One day in June 1998, the village chief hurriedly came to Su Mingjuan's house and informed her to go to Beijing for a meeting.
When Su Mingjuan came to the county, she felt an unusual atmosphere. Two cadres accompanied her on the train to Beijing, which she had never received in previous activities.
After arriving in Beijing, she realized that she was going to attend the 14th National Congress of the Communist Youth League! At that time, Su Mingjuan was only 14 years old and was the youngest delegate to the conference.
At the meeting, she was not only elected as an alternate member of the Youth League, but also awarded the title of "National Star of Hope" by the China Youth Foundation. Her identity and achievements attracted widespread attention, and as a result, she became one of the most influential newsmakers in China in the nineties.
In 2002, Su Mingjuan was officially elected as a member of the Youth League, which is a moment worth celebrating. However, these honors also brought her and her family many unnecessary troubles.
After Su Mingjuan was elected as a member of the Youth League, people in the village speculated that her family would soar because of this honor, and she would become a big leader at a young age, and she would definitely get a lot of salary.
After a long explanation, the people in the village finally understood that this was just an honor given to Su Mingjuan by the state, and in addition, because her participation in the activities took up most of her time, her grades had dropped significantly.
As the spokesperson of the Hope Project, Su Mingjuan is standing in the spotlight at the moment, and people all over the country are paying attention to her, and these expectant eyes make her feel unprecedented pressure.
After negotiation, Su Mingjuan declined most of the interviews and social activities, and the school also set up a tutoring group to make up for her in order to let her enter the state of preparation for the college entrance examination as soon as possible.
As the college entrance examination is approaching, Su Mingjuan has received many letters from her, all of whom are encouraging her to prepare for the exam and strive for excellent results. However, these encouragements put pressure on Su Mingjuan, who always felt that she could not meet everyone's expectations.
In the last mock exam, Su Mingjuan's score was only a little higher than the undergraduate line, and when the results of the college entrance examination were announced, she still performed abnormally. Fortunately, she was finally admitted to Anhui University Vocational and Technical College majoring in finance, living up to everyone's expectations and realizing her college dream.
The moment she received the admission letter, Su Mingjuan's heart was full of mixed emotions, and she deeply understood that her achievements were inseparable from the help of Project Hope and well-wishers, and of course, the photographer Xie Hailong who pushed her into the public eye.
She realized that in addition to the pursuit of material satisfaction, a person should also have a higher spiritual pursuit, so she began her "path of feeding".
Su Mingjuan deeply believes that helping others is the greatest joy in her life. As the school year began in September 2002, her father had planned to send her to report in person.
However, Su Mingjuan couldn't bear to see her father so tired, so she insisted on taking a car to Hefei by herself. Although her father understood her wishes, he kept telling her to "stay safe" and "study with peace of mind".
Coming to Hefei, the provincial capital, for the first time, Su Mingjuan was full of curiosity and anticipation for all unknown things. She longs for her university life to be colorful, fulfilling, and challenging.
On the journey to the university, she kept thinking about one thing, and finally before stepping into the gate of the university, she finally made up her mind. Su Mingjuan decided to earn tuition and living expenses through work-study.
Because she understands that while the CYDF is still providing assistance to her, she is already an adult and should learn to share the pressure. This will not only reduce the burden on the family, but also allow the CYDF to use resources for children who need it more.
After confirming this idea, Su Mingjuan immediately wrote a letter to the China Youth Foundation, expressing her desire to withdraw from the Hope Project Aid and hoping to be approved.
She is convinced that through her own efforts, she can not only create a better future for herself, but also help more people in need.
However, Su Mingjuan did not change her mind because of the CYDF's reply, and she still firmly believes in the power of self-reliance. A person in charge of the China Youth Foundation approached her, asked if she had encountered any difficulties, and said that he would do his best to help her.
Su Mingjuan replied: "No, I just feel that I have grown up and have the ability to support myself, and I hope you can help more people." Although the head of the CYDF finally advised her to prioritize her studies and said that she would continue to provide assistance until she stabilized her job, this did not affect her determination.
Instead, she saved all the tuition and living expenses she received and donated them anonymously to other classmates who needed the money more.
In the summer of 2003, Su Mingjuan decided to stay in Hefei to work, and was successfully hired by a real estate company. From the first day, she insisted on taking clients to see the house every day, learning how to communicate with customers, deeply experiencing the hardships of part-time work, and at the same time gaining valuable experience that cannot be learned in books.
However, she did not expect that her every move would cause such a big ** storm. Some ** reports say that Su Mingjuan was used by real estate companies to make money with celebrity effect, and all kinds of accusations are overwhelming.
Su Mingjuan felt very aggrieved, because during her work, many people did come to visit her. However, the three houses she sold and the 5,000 yuan she earned were all earned by her hard work, and they were the fruits of her hard work.
Su Mingjuan understands that she is standing in the spotlight, and her every move has attracted much attention, and any small negligence may be misinterpreted by the bad **, or even hyped by them.
In order not to cause trouble to the public welfare, she resolutely quit her job in real estate sales and decided to use her salary to contribute to the children in poor areas. Finally, she and 9 classmates went to a poor mountain village in Jinzhai County to volunteer for teaching.
When Su Mingjuan and her classmates walked into the primary school in the mountain village, looking at the children who were full of curiosity, she seemed to see the shadow of her past, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, with tears flashing in her eyes.
Through a few days of contact, Su Mingjuan learned that there was a little girl in the class, her background was very miserable, her father abandoned the mother and daughter, and they could only lay on the floor in the neighbor's grass hut and live a hard life.
When she learned that their family didn't even have a cooking pot and could only use a rice bowl instead, Su Mingjuan's heart was like a knife. She and her classmates decided to take immediate action and go to the town to buy pots and vegetables for the mother and daughter, and left more than 1,000 yuan.
This volunteer teaching experience made Su Mingjuan deeply realize that there are still many children living in poverty and unable to go to school. She pledged to do everything in her power to help these underprivileged students. To fulfill this commitment, she sponsored two underprivileged high school students through work-study during her college years.
Whenever she sent money to these two students, she would feel extremely happy, as if she could experience the joy of Li Wan and the old couple in Dalian at that time.
On the verge of graduation, Su Mingjuan received an invitation to join the China Youth Foundation, which is undoubtedly a great news for an ordinary graduate, and an excellent opportunity to change the path of life.
However, just a few days later, Su Mingjuan chose to refuse, what made her give up this precious opportunity? After all, hasn't what she pursued all the time is to give back to society and help more people?
Cast it into a peach and repay it with a li, Su Mingjuan's heart was very entangled at this time. Because not long ago, she saw the notice of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Anhui Branch recruiting employees for colleges and universities, so she submitted her resume with the mentality of giving it a try.
However, what is surprising is that Su Mingjuan received an interview invitation from the Anhui branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and an invitation to join the China Youth Foundation at the same time, which made her fall into a difficult choice.
Su Mingjuan has always firmly believed that her growth path is inseparable from the support of the Hope Project, and now that she has grown up, she should move forward independently and pass on this help to more people in need.
Su Mingjuan's major is finance, and from a professional point of view, banking work is more suitable. Still, she hopes to get her father's advice. However, to her surprise, her father criticized her idea, saying, "Is it a sign of gratitude that you are going to refuse when we were helped, and now they are offering you a job?" ”
Su Mingjuan has a deep love for philanthropy, but her father's words left her confused. Under Xie Hailong's guidance, she re-examined her profession and interests, and realized that she could contribute to philanthropy in other ways.
As a photojournalist, Xie Hailong has contributed to charity through his work, which has given Su Mingjuan a great inspiration. Eventually, she chose to work in a bank and began her new journey in philanthropy.
In her work, she has faced many challenges, but she firmly believes that if she does it with her heart, she can contribute to society.
Su Mingjuan encounters any difficulties in her work, and she will be carefully helped by her leaders and colleagues until she fully understands and grasps them. She is primarily responsible for relationship maintenance and marketing for large clients, and her previous experience in real estate sales has allowed her to adapt quickly.
After Su Mingjuan got her first salary, she immediately donated 1,000 yuan to the Hope Project, a habit that has become a part of her life. Every two months, she makes a donation to Project Hope, never stopping.
This year, after discussing with Hailong, she auctioned the "big eyes"** that were once popular all over the country.
Su Mingjuan repays the society and family with practical actions, and her good deeds have established a Hope Primary School named after "Big Eyes" in **. In addition to donating to Project Hope, she also sends most of her monthly salary to her parents to pay off her debts and improve her family's conditions.
After the renovation of the family's blue brick house, my parents finally saw the color TV. After the job stabilized, Su Mingjuan and her husband formed a family, they are childhood sweethearts, alumni and fellow countrymen, and soon after, the two had the crystallization of love.
On December 15, 2017, Su Mingjuan was elected as the part-time deputy secretary of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League at the first plenary meeting of the 14th Committee of the Communist Youth League of Anhui Province, which attracted widespread attention.
The girl, who grew up in a poor family, successfully counterattacked and was promoted to a deputy department-level cadre, which sparked speculation about her salary.
Su Mingjuan's part-time deputy secretary is only on a temporary basis, with no salary and administrative rank, and only participates in key activities and uses her advantages to provide advice. In June 2018, she used a deposit of 30,000 yuan to set up "Su Mingjuan Scholarship**", hoping to help more poor students like her.
In the "Dream University" activity of the Hope Project that year, she helped 20 poor college students one-on-one.
Su Mingjuan, a girl who was well-known to the public in the 90s of the last century because of her big eyes**, on January 9, 2022, through the Visual China "Meta Vision" platform, she bought 10,000 copies of the limited edition Big Eyes Girl** digital version for 199 yuan, and all the income was donated to "Su Mingjuan Student**" to support the development of education.
Over the years, Su Mingjuan has been practicing public welfare undertakings with actions, sticking to her original intention, achieving the true unity of knowledge and action, and making indelible contributions to the Hope Project.
Su Mingjuan firmly believes that she has only fulfilled her due obligations, and as a beneficiary of public welfare, she believes that it is also her bounden duty to practice public welfare. She firmly stated that she would be a lifelong volunteer of Project Hope!