Meet China PhD student Pang Zhongwang who rises from waste collector to cultural ambassador

A doctoral student at Tsinghua University, who comes from an impoverished family and excelled in his academic pursuits to gain admission to the prestigious institution years ago, has recently returned to the media spotlight after being appointed as a government adviser for his hometown.

Pang Zhongwang gained significant attention in 2017 when he scored an impressive 684 out of 750 in China’s university entrance examination, known as gaokao, despite facing considerable challenges in his family – his father suffered from schizophrenia, and his mother had a disability affecting her lower limbs.

He was subsequently enrolled at Tsinghua, one of the top universities in China. Although domestic media depicted Pang as a struggling student, he turned down financial aid offers from entrepreneurs.

Now 26 years old, Pang is pursuing a PhD at Tsinghua in precision instruments.

(While domestic media portrayed Pang as a struggling student, he rejected financial aid offers from entrepreneurs. Photo: Baidu)

On May 10, the government of Pang’s hometown, Wuqiao county in Hebei province, announced that it had appointed him as a think-tank expert as well as a culture and tourism ambassador, according to the Hebei Economic Daily.

Pang’s mother, who had the most significant influence on his life, passed away in 2020 at the age of 48.

He mentioned that his grandparents were the primary source of financial support for the family, given his parents’ health challenges.

(Before the national college entrance exam, Pang searched for recyclables to earn income to help support his family and still managed to achieve high scores, gaining admission to Tsinghua University. Photo: Shutterstock)

At times, he had to borrow money from neighbours to cover his mother’s medical expenses.

Before the gaokao, while his classmates diligently focused on their studies, Pang scoured for recyclables to generate income to help support his family.

Since childhood, Pang has consistently been an elite student with excellent grades.

“This kid is my biggest hope in life. I have never studied a single day, so I deeply admire those who are educated. I just urged him to study hard,” his mother, Pang Zhiqin, once told the media.

“My mother always encouraged me to be optimistic. She believed that we should look forward. She smiled every day, so why should I dwell on sadness?” Pang reflected.

(His late mother, above, was his greatest influence through her teachings that he should look forward and not linger on sadness. Photo: Baidu)

Ref: Meet China PhD student Pang Zhongwang who rises from waste collector to cultural ambassador Photo Credit-Shutterstock, Baidu