'Salute Boy' shines in gaokao, envisions college life

Lang Zheng, who touched the nation's heart after the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 by saluting the soldiers who rescued him, is again in the spotlight after achieving good results in the college entrance examination, or gaokao, which could help him attend a prestigious university.

Fifteen years ago, 3-year-old Lang became known as "Salute Boy", after a deadly magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit Southwest China's Sichuan province.

As Lang, who was rescued from rubble in Beichuan county, one of the worst-hit areas near the epicenter, was being carried by soldiers on a makeshift stretcher, he gave them a military salute. The touching moment was captured by a photographer and prompted an outpouring of emotion nationwide.

On Saturday, Lang received his college entrance examination result. He scored 637 points, placing him in the top 30 of hundreds of thousands of liberal arts exam participants in Sichuan.

The annual gaokao, which took place from June 7 to 10 this year, is one of the most important exams for Chinese students as the scores largely determine which universities they can attend and their future career paths.

"I am very surprised and amazed. I really did not expect to do so well," Lang told China Daily, adding that he is going to apply for Peking University in the upcoming college application process.

"I will do my best to acquire knowledge and become a useful person to serve society in the future," he said, adding that history and international relations are his preferred majors.

Lang has already received invitations from Peking University and Renmin University of China, two of the country's top universities.

"I plan to work as a civil servant or in a similar job in the future, serve the people, and live up to expectations of so many people who cared about me and helped me," he was quoted by Hongxing News as saying.

Lang Hongdong, Lang Zheng's father, told China Daily, "I just hope that he can study hard at university, work hard and make more contributions to society in the future".

Since becoming well-known for his gesture during the rescue, Lang has been stuck with the nickname "Salute Boy".

Being called "Salute Boy" for the past 15 years has mainly given him encouragement, rather than placing him under pressure, he said.

"The nickname gives me more motivation, encouraging me to study hard and not to slack off," he said.

"Going to university is just a new starting point. I should study harder, and gain more skills to give back to society."

Contact the writers at jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn