The siblings' parents work outside of their hometown, and their grandparents are farmworkers, so the girl had no choice but to take her baby brother to school.
HUNAN, China - In a photo that has touched many netizens, a 10-year-old girl in a rural town is seen cradling her baby brother to sleep.
This would not be a scene out of the ordinary except for the fact that the photo was taken in a primary school classroom where lessons were being conducted.
The photographer, Lu Qixing, who captured the touching image, said the siblings' parents work outside of their hometown, and their grandparents are farmworkers, so the girl had no choice but to take her baby brother to school.
In the photo, she was carrying the two-year-old because he was getting sleepy.
Lu added that the boy's head is abnormally large because of poor nutrition.
The image went viral after being uploaded on the Internet, and has been forwarded by many netizens on social media platforms.
Many said they were moved to tears, while some even tried to provide financial aid to the girl, reported one website.
According to the teacher of the class, the girl is in Grade Two, and situations like hers are common in Jiangshan Town, a Miao minority town.
The girl, Long Zhanghuan, said she would usually bring her brother to school around two or three times a week.
But a latest Chinese media report on Oct 31 says Zhanghuan has transferred to another primary school and is no longer able to bring her brother with her to school as it is too far away.
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