Earthquake hero receives donations after injury

KUNMING -- Public donations and blessings are pouring in for a Chinese village teacher after reports said the man, known for his heroic rescue of students during the Yunnan earthquake, was in comma after a serious accident.

Zhu Yinquan suffered serious brain damage after falling from the second floor of a building on December 30 and remained in intensive care at a hospital in Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province.

As of Wednesday, Zhu's family has received 200,000 yuan ($32,000) from the local government and public donations, said Zhu's cousin Wang Guoqing.

Doctors said Zhu had a craniotomy but was not out of danger.

Chinese internet users called Zhu the "most adorable teacher" after he bare-handedly pulled seven children out alive from debris after multiple quakes collapsed his rural classroom in Yiliang County on September 7.

The story of Zhu, who was the only teacher for 22 students before the quakes struck, has highlighted both the plight and commitment of untrained village teachers as they struggled to provide basic education to children in impoverished rural parts of China.

The government of Yiliang said they have attached great importance to Zhu's treatment, promising that they would shoulder his medical fees if the amount was too hefty for the family.