Profiles

Janitor saves six abandoned babies in ten years

By Coldness Kwan (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-08-16 16:20

A janitor goes about his daily routine around Qinglong Temple in Xi'an, capital of North China's Shaanxi Province, surrounded by three young girls around eight or nine, jumping up and down and calling "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Pang Yingjian, 68, a janitor for Qinglong Temple in Xi'an, capital of North China's Shaanxi Province does his daily routine surrounded by his three granddaughters, who were saved by the old man as abandoned babies in this undated photo. [Xinhua]

He is not their biological grandfather, but a foster grandpa who adopted them after finding them abandoned as babies.

Pang Qingjian, 68, saved six abandoned babies at the Qinglong Temple in the past 10 years. He adopted three of them and asked others to care for the other three, Xinhua.net reported.

Pang first adopted a newborn baby girl, who was wrapped up in toilet paper and abandoned near the ticket office of the temple ten years ago.

The two other girls were picked up in 1997 and 2000 respectively near the temple. "The third child was the most miserable," Pang said. "Someone told me there was a baby abandoned in the dust heap. I rushed there to find the baby still alive and crying."

"The baby I picked up in 2000 was a boy, well-dressed as if his parents had abandoned him after dressing him up," Pang told Xinhua. He said he sent another abandoned baby to the local police station this March.

Pang Yingjian, 68, a janitor for Qinglong Temple in Xi'an, capital of North China's Shaanxi Province rests on the lawn with his three granddaughters, who were saved by the old man as abandoned babies in this undated photo. [Xinhua]

As a foster grandpa, Pang has become well known throughout the neighborhood. Neighbors began to donate money and clothes to the three children and the school agreed to admit the for free last year.

"Some people thought I was stupid to adopt abandoned babies. But I couldn't love them more as I see them grow up healthy," Pang said with a smile.

Pang's wife now supports her husband. "We ourselves are not well off and have got four children and two grandchildren. But now we take care of the three girls like our own children and even our neighbors don't treat them as strangers," she said.

Pang's work unit has raised his salary as a reward for his kindness, according to Xinhua.

To contact the writer of this story:
Guan Xiaomeng in Beijing atguanxm@chinadaily.com.cn