'Snowflake boy' reflects cold rural reality

Concerns

Wang Fuman received star treatment as soon as he arrived in Beijing. He was followed by news crews and constantly stopped by people on the streets who wanted their photo taken with him.

While the boy enjoyed the attention, his father expressed concern. "Nothing will change. We will still be poor and his mother still won't contact us," said Wang Gangkui, who rarely spoke during their trip to Beijing. "People will soon forget about us; I wonder how long that will take."

Fu, the headmaster, was also worried about the effect the trip may have had on Wang Fuman.

"The media has focused on him too much in recent days, and that's not good for him. He should return to his normal life," he said.

However, Li, the professor at Beijing Normal University, said the visit to the capital may have been beneficial because it may have given Wang Fuman a sense of purpose and something to aspire to.

"We should not forget that there are so many children like him in China. Only poverty alleviation can help to reduce the number of parents leaving their children in the countryside, and provide children with a healthier environment to grow up in," he said.

Wang Fuman, who seemed almost unaffected by the attention, said he prefers to be called by his real name rather than "Snowflake Boy".

The third grader has never missed a day of school, no matter how many times he has fallen on the slippery mountain road or been ridiculed because his mother has left the family.

"I just want to study as hard as I can so I can become a real policeman and take down bad people in the world," he said.

Hou Liqiang contributed to this story.