Editor's note: This article was translated and edited from Chinese news website people.com.cn and xinhuanet.com. It recounts a recent story where further donations to poor students in rural Guangxi were suddenly refused. Although there is still no concrete explanation, a debate continues in the media and online community as to whether the local government ordered the refusal of donations due to fear of being labelled a "disaster zone".  

A recent story about poor students at a primary school in Guangxi, seen in the accompanying photo wearing only sandals, touched the hearts of the Chinese public who in turn began sending donations of money, winter clothes, and shoes. Moreover, many of the children at the primary school were also believed to have been abandoned by their parents, and didn't even have mattresses to sleep on during the night. However, after the local authorities heard about this newfound interest in the school, it refused to set up a donation account for the students and told the many kind-hearted donators that they should stop their donations altogether. Unsurprisingly, this caused uproar amongst many Chinese netizens. Questions are now being asked as to whether or not the local authorities refused to accept the donations due to their fear of being labelled a "disaster zone" by the rest of the country. Many people are now angry and concerned over their apparent attitude that saving face is more important than ensuring the young students' well-being.

Students "willing" to wear sandals

Located in the rural area of Tiandeng County, Kongmin Primary School is 33 km from the county town, and has a total of six teachers and 101 students. "Compared to city schools, the conditions here are pretty poor," said school Principal Nong Kanghong. The student dormitory beds were given to the school by the county police, while the few quilts available were donated by a local charity. "All the children have to do is bring a mat and they have a place to stay. As the children are small, we often sleep two in one bed," added Principal Nong. But why were the students wearing sandals during winter? Principal Nong explained that all the students did previously have thicker shoes, but due to the wet climate of the area they didn't want to ruin their nice shoes and preferred to wear sandals instead. "My sixth grade son also prefers to wear sandals," said Nong. The Guangxi winter this year has been described as one of the coldest, and the apparently "willing" sandal-wearing children have to sit in a cold, wet classroom for the duration of their school days.

A flood of donations

After the awful living conditions of the students were made known to the media, the school quickly gained a lot of public attention. "The number of phone calls and text messages I started receiving on January 18 almost made my phone explode!" exclaimed the principal. People from all over the country have offered to help, with some asking the principal the exact address of the school so that they may send donations. "After telling over 20 kind-hearted people our address, I decided to decline any further donations from January 19 onward because I figured it would be enough to supply the children with what they needed," continued Nong. The next day, the school received 38 quilts, 124 pairs of shoes and 124 down-filled coats, all of which were donated by Guangxi University Professor Mo Hong. Principal Nong explained, "The students now have more than enough to get through the winter. What we really need are more extracurricular books and stationary."

No order giving by government to cease donations

Despite Principal Nong's comments, there is still debate online as to whether it was really the local government who ordered the cease of donations. Minister of Propaganda and Deputy County Head Li Guizhuo gave the following official statement: "From the county to the town, from the Red Cross to the Civil Affairs Bureau, no government-related body ordered the halt of the donations…We encourage the continuation of these kind-hearted people's donations to help these children get through the cold winter." However, word leaked out that during Professor Mo Hong's trip to Tiandeng County from Nanning, he was escorted to the school by an official from the Bureau of Education. After delivering the donations to the school, Mo Hong stated that "they now have enough clothes and bedding to get through the winter, but there are nowhere near enough books in their library. I hope donators will consider this in the future." Principal Nong added, "My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has shown concern for the children."

Although there is currently no further information regarding the reason why future donations were turned down, netizens have voiced their suspicion and disapproval of the sudden decision. Some have commented on the "laziness" of the local government with regard to equipping the school with adequate supplies. One netizen in particular reflected on the possible refusal of further donations by the government, describing the move as "wanting to save face rather than help these poor children."

Source: people.com.cn, xinhuanet.com

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Keywords: Guangxi school donation Guangxi donation rejection impoverished school Guangxi