Zhang Guimei Committed to Girls

王静云

“自然擊你以风雪，你报之以歌唱。命运置你于危崖，你馈人间以芬芳。”这是感动中国组委会在“感动中国 2020 年度人物”颁奖晚会上对张桂梅的颁奖词。张桂梅常说：“女孩子受教育，可以改变三代人。”她的事迹感动了无数中国人。

“An educated female could end the intergenerational transmission of poverty and change the destinies of three generations.” Zhang Guimei declared. The 64-year-old teacher from southwest China's Yunnan Province was presented with the July 1 Medal， which is the highest honor in the Communist Party of China （CPC）， by Xi Jinping， general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee， at a ceremony in Beijing on June 29， 2021. Zhang Guimei was born to a family of Manchu ethnic minority in June 1957 in Heilongjiang Province. She and her sister went to Yunnan as part of ateam supporting the country's border when she was 17. In Dali， she worked as a teacher in a local school after graduating from university and got married. However， good times didn't last long. Her husband died of cancer in 1996， five years into their marriage. 1）Inconsolable， Zhang left the familiar place and went to Huaping， which is an impoverished county 2）nestled in the mountains. There she started a new life， teaching Politics and Chinese in HuapingMinzu （Ethnic Group） Middle School.

There she witnessed extreme poverty. “The 3）destitution just sprawls in front of you，” she recalled. In 2002， Zhang came up with an idea which seemed crazy： to found a free high school for girls. The idea of running a school was born after seeing girls drop out of school due to poverty. Zhang was awared that the children's parents， who were poor and less-educated， failed to realize the importance of girls' education. “Girls should get equal access to education， as most of them will become mothers in the future， and they will directly affect their children's lives，” says Zhang.

Her goal was hard to achieve. She had to raise money and hire teachers. After six years of hard work and financial support from the local government， she managed to found the Huaping Girls' High School， which is the first free female high school in China. “The early years were rather difficult，” she explained， “The Party spirit 4）sustained me.” With the target of never letting a girl fall behind in schooling， Zhang often works overtime despite suffering from illnesses.

Zhang takes girls with little middle-school education background and helps them pass the university entrance exams within three years. For the past years， about 2000 students have graduated from her school and have been admitted to universities.

Zhang is committed to the education of girls in poor areas. “As long as I have one more breath， I will continue teaching my students. I never regret devoting my life to helping impoverished children improve their education，” Zhang said. The People's Daily was effusive in its praise of Zhang， who like a lighthouse， encourages more educators to stick to their original intention and light others on the road of building a dream.

“受教育的女性，能阻断贫困的代际传递，改变三代人的命运。”张桂梅说。 2021 年 6 月 29 日在北京举行的颁授仪式上，中共中央总书记习近平为这位来自中国西南地区云南省的 64 岁教师颁发了党内最高荣誉——“七一勋章”。

张桂梅 1957 年 6 月出生于黑龙江省一个满族家庭。17 歲时，她和姐姐一起去云南支援边疆建设。大学毕业后在大理当地的一所学校任教并结了婚。然而，好景不长。 1996 年，在他们结婚五年后，她的丈夫死于癌症。伤心欲绝的张桂梅离开了熟悉的地方，去了依山傍水的贫困县华坪。在那里，她开始了新的生活，在华坪民族中学教授政治和语文。

也是在那里，她目睹了极端贫困。“贫穷就在你面前蔓延。”她回忆道。 2002 年，张桂梅有了一个看似疯狂的想法：创办一所免费女子高中。看到女孩因贫困而被迫辍学后，她产生了办学的想法。她意识到，孩子们的父母贫穷且受教育程度低，没有意识到女孩教育的重要性。“女孩应该获得平等的受教育机会，因为她们中的大多数人将来都会成为母亲，她们将直接影响孩子的生活。” 张桂梅说。

她的目标很难实现。她不得不筹集资金并聘请教师。经过六年的努力和当地政府的资金支持，她成功创办了华坪女子中学，这是中国第一所免费女子高中。“早年相当艰难，”她解释道，“党的精神支撑着我。”以不让一个女孩在学业上落后为目标，尽管身患疾病，张桂梅仍经常加班加点。

张桂梅招收有较少初中学习背景的女生，并在三年内帮助她们通过高考。十多年来，她所在的学校已经有近 2000 名学生毕业并被大学录取。

张桂梅致力于贫困地区女童的教育。她说： “只要我还有一口气，我就会继续教我的学生。我从不后悔一生致力于帮助贫困儿童提高教育水平。”《人民日报》高度赞扬了张桂梅，说她宛如一座灯塔，激励着更多教育工作者在筑梦路上坚守初心、照亮他人。