Year in review: Most touching stories of 2019

Primary school student inspired by letter from Foreign Ministry

Cheng Guo, a second-grade student at a primary school in Qingdao, Shandong province, unexpectedly received a reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China on Oct 23 after she wrote a letter to the ministry before National Day on Oct 1.

Cheng wrote to the ministry on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of founding of the People's Republic of China, saying that she really admires the wisdom and confidence of the government spokespeople, which fostered her passion for becoming a diplomat.

Cheng Guo's father, who wanted to encourage his daughter to realize her dream, helped deliver the letter to the post office together with his daughter on Sept 29.

In the letter in reply to Cheng Guo, it said "Cheng Guo, we're glad you write to us...Your letter is very encouraging...Your dream of becoming a diplomat is great! To be a diplomat, you have to love your country and the people, and have all-around capabilities. We believe that through hard work, you would succeed and we hope to see you in our team one day." A signed envelope was also attached to the letter from foreign ministry spokespeople Hua Chunying and Geng Shuang.

"I am so excited; I will remember every sentence in the letter!" said Cheng Guo.