Cast adrift, 12-year-old has to find new home

Shanghai boy's situation complicated by fact he is not technically an orphan

Every day after school, 12-year-old Xue Hongtian goes "home" - to a temporary shelter.

Xue Hongtian rests on his bed before going to school. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

The mixed-race boy, who has no close family members in the city, has spent the past two months living in the homeless assistance station, which is run by the Yangpu district government for the homeless and victims of domestic violence.

Nine workers at the facility are on duty 24 hours a day. They prepare meals and wash clothes for Xue and help him with his homework; one of them even keeps him company as he falls asleep.

He has his own bedroom, living room with a TV and a study room.

"I love this home. I hope I can live here forever," Xue said.

The boy, who is much bigger than other children of his age, has curly brown hair and big eyes. He smiles a lot. He likes playing basketball in the shabby court behind the shelter after school.

Yuan Changhong, a community worker, said Xue has become much more outgoing since he arrived at the shelter.

"When he first came here, he seldom talked with other people. Now, as you can see, he is as happy as the other kids," she said.

Xue's parents met when they were both working in Dubai. They didn't get married after his mother became pregnant.

His mother, who hailed from Shanghai, returned to the city in 2000 and gave birth to Xue. His father, a Syrian, didn't contact her or send any money.

One year after Xue was born, his mother died of lymphoma. After that, Xue's grandmother was the only person he could rely on, as his grandfather died in 2003.

Life was hard for them. Yuan said the boy and his grandmother lived in a 10-square-meter room, surviving on his grandmother's pension of 2,000 yuan ($314) each month.

His life at the station began in March when his grandmother died.

The boy's only remaining relative in Shanghai is his grandmother's brother, whose wife has kidney disease. The couple can't take Xue in.

Xue is handsome. When he was only 2, he was a model in a Kodak advertisement. Since then, an art school in Shanghai has given him free courses. Becoming a stage performer is his top goal.

On June 1, Children's Day, Xue performed a hip-hop dance at his school's party.

"Xue has a very good personality. He used to be shy, but after experiencing so much misfortune, he is grateful for the love and care of the people around him and often expresses his gratitude," said Tang Chunxia, Xue's class teacher.

Xue Hongtian plays basketball with a staff member recently at the Yangpu district homeless assistance station in Shanghai. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

However, the station has already made an exception in letting Xue live there for such a long time. The staff are trying to find a boarding middle school for Xue, who will graduate from elementary school in June.

"The nearby public middle schools with dormitories are all planning to close their dormitories soon, and the tuition fees at private schools are too high," said Yuan.

She said four years of tuition at a private boarding middle school would cost about 80,000 yuan, which neither Xue nor the community office can afford.

Each month, Xue only gets a 570 yuan allowance from the government.

"If he is categorized as an orphan, the allowance can increase to 1,400 yuan," Yuan said.

The problem is that Xue's father is possibly alive, although he does nothing for the boy. Under government regulations, declaring Xue an orphan requires written proof that his father is missing. However, since his father is in Syria, they can't reach him.

"We do hope these problems can be solved so that he can get through his adolescence happily. We all believe that he will grow up to be a good man," Yuan said.

Contact the reporter at yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn