Farewell to My Esteemed Teacher
By reporter Wang Yong and correspondent Liang Guodong (with photos)
Yesterday morning, the memorial service for Principal Li Lin of Taikang County Hui Nationality Middle School, who collapsed while delivering admission notices to students, was held at the Taikang County Funeral Home. Nearly a thousand people from all sectors of society and teachers and students from the Taikang County education system came to pay their last respects to the beloved principal Li Lin, who passed away prematurely.
What moved everyone was that one of Principal Li Lin's students from 20 years ago, Shangshu Guang, now the chief engineer of a medical technology company in Beijing, upon hearing the sudden news of his teacher's passing, gave up the opportunity to sign a million-yuan contract with a client and resolutely returned to his hometown of Taikang County to bid farewell to his respected teacher.
"You are watching my actions from heaven"
"Principal Li was only 43 years old! She left too early!" Those attending the memorial service wiped away tears. "Teacher Li, you will forever live in our hearts!" "If there is another life, we will still be your students!" Heart-wrenching couplets like these were hung on both sides of the funeral home hallway, as hundreds of students from Taikang County Hui Nationality Middle School silently expressed their grief.
"Teacher Li, open your eyes and look at me. I won't be naughty anymore; I will study hard and not let you down!" A 16-year-old boy cried especially hard. This boy named Zhang Guoyun told reporters that he was a left-behind child whose parents worked in Guangdong all year round, and he lived with his grandfather. Due to associating with some kids with bad habits, he learned to smoke and drink, became addicted to online games, and after a fight, he dropped out of school and ended up wandering on the streets.
"After Principal Li learned about my situation, she visited my home four times and communicated with me patiently like a mother, allowing me to forget everything from before and start anew. Even my grandfather said that if I didn’t return to school, I would be unworthy of Principal Li’s efforts!" Zhang Guoyun said, "I was moved by the tears in Principal Li’s eyes. I felt that she was just as good as my mom, and I swore to give Principal Li a surprise!" Zhang Guoyun returned to school to study again, and now he has been admitted to a key high school with excellent grades. Who would have thought that when he received his admission notice, the kind principal who had offered him selfless help would leave him forever. "You are watching my actions from heaven; I vow not to rest until I enter a decent university."
Abandoning a Million-Yuan Contract to Say Goodbye to His Teacher
Among the many people attending Principal Li Lin's memorial service was one of her students from 20 years ago, now the chief engineer of a medical technology company in Beijing. He is 33-year-old Shangshu Guang. "I learned about Teacher Li Lin's passing at 6 o'clock in the morning the day before yesterday. I immediately bought a train ticket back to Taikang and reached Teacher Li Lin's altar at 9 o'clock in the evening."
During the interview, Shangshu Guang casually revealed that recently he was supposed to sign a million-yuan contract with a client, but to see his teacher Li Lin one last time, he gave up signing the contract, and he did not regret it at all. "If I couldn't attend my teacher's final journey, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."
Yesterday, the Taikang County Education Bureau specially issued a notice to carry out an in-depth learning campaign among all faculty members about Comrade Li Lin's spirit of dedication to the education cause and her love for her students.