Teacher tells of enduring friendship

Editor's Note: Li Xudong has been a teacher at the Beijing Tibet Middle School for 13 years. After graduating from Capital Normal University in 2001, he joined the staff of the school as a Chinese language and literature teacher. Here, Li tells about a special relationship he developed with a student from the Tibet.

Sonam was my student from Shannan prefecture, Tibet, a small county neighboring Nepal. His father died when he was young. He lives with his mother, and they struggle with a limited income.

When a student told me that Sonam wore one pair of shoes all the first semester in Beijing (from September to January), I was shocked about his poverty. Yet he still had the motivation to pursue his schooling.