Now that I'm studying at university in Shanghai... I used to be a "strange boy" from Yunnan

With the end of summer vacation, many universities in Shanghai have started their classes one after another. Recently, a boy from Pu'er, Yunnan took a 12 hour high-speed train to Shanghai to prepare for enrollment and registration. Unlike other freshmen, he was greeted by a group of volunteers from a public service society.

"I haven't seen him for over three years. The last time I saw him was in Jiahe Township, Jiangcheng County, his hometown." At 18:50 on September 11th, Xia Jun, the chairman of Shanghai Elf Home Public Welfare Service Society, brought several volunteers and flowers to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, hoping that the train from Yunnan to Shanghai would arrive on time. I imagined Xiang Zhilun seeing their expressions as soon as he got off the train.

"Coming, coming, platform 10," Xia Jun excitedly pointed ahead and said. As the train slowly entered the station, the doors opened, and passengers got off one after another, Xia Jun and his group finally met Xiang Zhilun. I saw him thin, wearing a black mask and carrying a white backpack. Although the journey lasted for 12 hours, Xiaoxiang was still very excited to see Xia Jun and other volunteers whom he had not seen in many years, and constantly expressed gratitude.

Xia Jun took Xiang Zhilun's backpack and the group chatted as they walked. Subsequently, Xiang Zhilun followed Xia Jun to Xia Jun's home in Langxia Town, Jinshan District. It is understood that Xiang Zhilun needs to report to Shanghai Normal University before September 16th, and before reporting, he will stay at Xia Jun's house for a few days.

"Xiao Xiang, how did you feel when you came to Shanghai this time? I'll take you to Shanghai Disneyland for some more time. Have you ever been to Langxia Shantang Village? If you haven't been, let's go take a look together." Along the way, Xia Jun warmly communicated with Xiang Zhilun and planned his future trip.

The "strange boy" in the eyes of those around him

The fate between Xiang Zhilun and Xia Jun can be traced back to seven years ago.

22-year-old Xiang Zhilun is from Pu'er, Yunnan. Unfortunately, just three days after his birth, his mother passed away due to illness and was later taken in by his aunt's family. At the age of 3, as a young man, he reached into the tea dryer with both hands and leaned his lips closer to the roaring machine, causing the entire lip to be twisted away by the machine. Faced with the high cost of treatment, his family is simply unable to afford it. Afterwards, with a damaged face, he became the "strange boy" in the eyes of those around him.

"After entering adolescence, I sensitively noticed some strange gazes around me, constantly being pointed at. This kind of life has lasted for more than a decade, and I really hope to change everything," said Xiang Zhilun.

In November 2016, Xia Jun, the founder of Shanghai Elf Home Public Welfare Service Society, visited Jiahe Middle School in Jiangcheng County, Pu'er City and learned about Xiang Zhilun's tragic experience from the principal.

"When I first saw Xiao Xiang, I was quite surprised. After getting to know him better, I found that he was very outstanding in his studies, ranking first in the school every year, and had a strong willpower. Therefore, whether it was the teachers in Yunnan or others, they all believed that such an excellent child should not encounter a series of setbacks and difficulties after entering society due to his appearance. They thought they could help him," Xia Jun told reporters.

Working together to change the fate of a boy

After returning to Jinshan, Xia Jun immediately contacted all parties to raise funds from Zhilun and find a way to treat him. After some twists and turns, Xia Jun first raised over 200000 yuan in savings and in January 2017, he brought Xiang Zhilun to Shanghai Ninth Hospital for expert consultation and treatment. From fundraising to consultation, it only took two months, and such a "golden speed" made Xiang Zhilun feel unbelievable.

"In fact, during the summer vacation of sixth grade, I received a face-to-face consultation in Kunming. The hospital said they wanted me to go back and wait for news, but I waited for years and years without any news. I didn't expect that Brother Xia could help me find an expert so quickly and raise a large amount of surgical costs. I was really moved. He changed my fate," said Xiang Zhilun.

Two months is actually not easy for Xia Jun. In 2015, Shanghai Elf Home Public Welfare Service Society was just established. Prior to this, the service society had not donated a large amount of funds to individuals. Experts from Shanghai Ninth Hospital told Xia Jun that due to the difficulty of Xiang Zhilun's surgery, the initial cost alone was as high as over 400000 yuan. "At that time, I was very uncertain, but fortunately, the other members of the service agency were very awesome. Everyone worked together to widely publicize and forward. At the same time, there were many good people in Jinshan, so I raised more than 200000 yuan in the first phase. As the operation continued, and the donations ran out, we continued to raise funds, and later raised more than 100000 yuan. Now Xiaoxiang has had many operations on his face. Although his mouth is still a little small, there will be further operations to make his lips bigger and his nose smaller."

The long road ahead is long, and the future is promising

During his treatment in Shanghai, Xia Jun and other volunteers provided care and assistance, which made Xiang Zhilun feel unprecedented warmth and gave him a different kind of affection for Shanghai.

He secretly made up his mind to get into a university in Shanghai and hand over an answer sheet to kind-hearted people with excellent grades.

"I repeated my studies twice and took the college entrance examination three times. The last time I was admitted to a 211 school in Northeast China, but I still don't want to go. Because I felt cared for in Shanghai, I have a special affection for Shanghai, and I believe that Shanghai will be helpful for my future career planning, so I firmly chose Shanghai," said Xiang Zhilun.

On September 16th, Xiang Zhilun will report to Shanghai Normal University Fengxian Campus. In the days before the start of school, he accompanied Xia Jun and went to places such as Jinshan Langxia and Fengjing to experience local traditional culture. Now, he took off his mask and walked around like an ordinary person, eating and playing, no longer caring about the eyes of others. With the company of his "family" in Jinshan, he showed a brilliant smile.

"Being exposed to light in a courtyard, being exposed to light in all directions. It is with the help of so many people that I have come to where I am today. In the future, I will work harder to learn and give back to society with practical actions. In the future, I will also follow in the footsteps of Brother Xia and contribute my part to public welfare." said Xiang Zhilun.