Grateful student thanks donor who made studies possible

Mystery solved. A donor who gave a student 1,000 yuan ($140) each month to help her with her studies has been identified.

The donor, who started supporting the girl in Haining, Zhejiang province in September 2019, was identified by Dachao News, a news portal based in Haining.

It said 23-year-old Wu Yuqi took a deep bow to express her gratitude toward Zhang Shaomin, the father of one of her high school friends, who had been donating without disclosing his identity.

Wu had been seeking the identity of her benefactor ever since the anonymous contributions started arriving four years earlier.

After being raised by her mother, who became deaf after Wu's father died in a car accident when Wu was six months old, Wu grew into an independent and mature girl.

She was always frugal in her spending and diligent in her studies and believed studying was the key to a better future.

In 2019, a scholarship campaign was launched by local media in Haining to help college students in need and Wu, who had been achieving good grades, was among those featured as she prepared to attend Lanzhou University.

Zhang Shaomin, who learned Wu's story through the news report, was moved to the extent that he decided to donate a monthly allowance of 1,000 yuan.

With the support of his wife and daughter, who were good friends with Wu back in high school, Zhang made the decision to make the donation without disclosing his identity.

When asked why he remained anonymous, Zhang said he did not want to put Wu under additional pressure.

Finally, with the help of local media in Haining, Wu Yuqi learned the identity of her donor and, after hearing Wu wanted to meet him, Zhang agreed.

"I just lent a hand, it's not a big deal," he said.

Wu said: "I never expected him to be the father of my high school classmate."

On July 21, accompanied by her mother, Wu Yuqi set off from her home to express her gratitude to Zhang, handing him a thank-you letter and reports about her studies.

Wu also told him she had been admitted to Fudan University for her master's degree.

Before parting, Zhang and Wu exchanged contact information and Zhang told her: "If you encounter any financial difficulties during your postgraduate studies, make sure to reach out to me!"