Millions in China moved by student who quit school to care for seriously ill mother

Millions of people in China were moved by the story of a secondary school graduate who put off university to care for her seriously ill mother – and of the classmates who donated their treasured collections to help her.

Cao Feng, a graduating student at Yuwang Secondary School in central China’s Anhui province, recently decided to give up her place at university so she could care for her mother, who is hospitalised in Shanghai.

Cao’s mother, Cuiping, 47, has generalised myasthenia gravis, a chronic condition that causes muscle weakness, as well as a thymic tumour. She was recently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with respiratory failure.

Cao’s father cares for his wife for two hours a day and drives for a ride-hailing service for 12 hours, despite having a tumour himself. Treatment in the ICU costs 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) a day.

The youngest of five siblings, Cao wanted to help her family. Unable to earn money like her other family members, she decided to contribute by caring for her mother.

She said her elder sister, who is in graduate school, had also considered leaving her studies to find work.

Cao told her teacher about her decision. The teacher urged her to continue studying, as she had always done well academically and won a scholarship every year.

But Cao was determined. So her teacher, surnamed Li, and Liangtian, an influencer with 22 million followers, arranged a farewell for her at the school.

After learning about Cao’s situation, her classmates volunteered to donate items for a charity sale.

One of Cao’s best friends handed her a bag of loose change, explaining that it was money she had earned by selling her gaming account for Honour of Kings.

Others donated Ultraman cards, merchandise from their favourite live-action drama, handmade crafts, badges featuring their favourite characters, a record by their favourite singer and a jersey belonging to their favourite basketball player.

As Cao left the school grounds, hundreds of her classmates stood in the corridors, waving goodbye and wishing her “good luck”.

A video of the students donating their treasured collections and bidding farewell to Cao moved millions online. The video, posted by Liangtian, received nearly 10 million likes and more than 200,000 comments.

Many people praised Cao’s devotion to her mother and the students’ kindness and friendship.

“These might not be valuable things in the adult world, but they are these kids’ whole world, and they gave them away to help their friend,” one person commented.

Many also urged Cao to continue her studies. They flocked to her parents’ social media accounts to donate money and help her stay in school.

Teacher Li also gave Cao a red packet containing money donated by the school’s faculty.

A representative of Cao’s school said it had arranged for teachers to support her studies remotely each day and check on her mental health.

The school will also help her register for the upcoming gaokao, or national college entrance examination, so she can still go to university. It will waive her tuition fees when she returns to school.

Cao, who is now caring for her mother in Shanghai, thanked her classmates and teachers for their support. She said she would resume her studies and take the gaokao when circumstances allow.