A seven-year-old boy in China has added fuel to an ongoing debate about child poverty in China.
Video sharing website, Pear video, posted a three-minute long clip of Li Chang Jiang delivering parcels in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. Over 83,000 people have liked the video since it was first published on January 14. The video and screengrabs were reposted on social media channels like Weibo, Twitter and Facebook.
Jiang has been nicknamed Little Li by social media users. According to Pear Video, he was orphaned after his father passed away and his mother remarried and lost contact with him.
The seven-year-old has been living with his father’s friend since the age of three.
After the Pear Video feature went online, thousands of social media users reacted, expressing sympathy and concern for Little Li’s plight. Twitter user @JetOuttaTown wrote: “This package I got from China smells like poverty and child labour. I returned it to the sender.”
What’s on Weibo, a website that reports social trends in China stated that: “Chang Jiang told reporters that he was happy doing his job and still wants to be a delivery man when he grows up.”
Last week, a photo of an eight-year old Chinese student covered in frost and red, swollen cheeks after walking 4.5km to school in -9C temperature had gone viral.
Twitter user @nerysinchina posted: “Two in a week (inc frozen hair boy). Coincidence? One more and I’ll be suspicious.”
A joint World Bank Group–Unicef study in 2016 stated that nearly 385 million children across the globe are living in extreme poverty. Global organisations use social media constantly to raise awareness.
What do you think is the solution to this global issue? Share your thoughts on readers@gufnews.com.
