Lhamao is among the poorest residents of Yege township in Qinghai province's Qumalai county. The 51-year-old widow is reluctant to let the 7-year-old orphan she has raised since age 1 go to school. She hopes he can herd yaks to support them. And she has "no other close family or friends". Her biological son died at school at age 15. Her paralyzed mother Raxima died in 2012 — years after biting her wrists open to try to free her family of the burden she felt she imposed, puckering her forearm with scars China Daily saw in 2011. [Photo by Erik Nilsson/chinadaily.com.cn] |