Watching the Olympics is always inspirational to me. But tonight I found a bit of extra inspiration from little Lin Hao, who walked aside the giant Yao Ming as the Chinese athletes toured the great National Stadium in the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Lin Hao is 9 years old. He was at school in YingXui, one of the hardest hit areas of the recent earthquake in China. 20 of his 30 classmates perished when the building collapsed and trapped him and two friends in a corridor during the quake. According to the BBC (here), he said “The corridor collapsed as I was walking. Two of my classmates were trapped beside me. I tried as hard as I could to climb out, and after I had climbed out I pulled a classmate out.”
That classmate was unconscious, and after carrying him to safety, he went back and carried the second (also unconscious) to safety. When asked about his heroism, he replied that he was a class leader, he was the ‘hall monitor’ after all. According to some reports, still later he encouraged his fellow surviving students to sing songs in order to keep up their spirits while they awaited rescue and aid.
Then, having lost both his parents (see note below), he left the area with his two sisters, hiked 7 hours to Du Jiang Yan (some video here).
I believe there are angels among us. We have heroes in our midst, and sometimes they can be found in the most unlikely of places (even within ourselves).
To little Lin Hao, who sets an example of courage, commitment, and love, in the face of trial and turmoil, I say thank you. You inspire me. Welcome to my list of heroes.
Rusty
Note: Linda, Lin Hao’s Godmother clarifies in her comments below that Lin’s parents survived. Also below are comments from little Lin Hao himself!
Subscribe to Ongofu | Get Ongofu by Email
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please bookmark it by clicking on the button below, and selecting a service so others can find it too. Many thanks. [digg=http://digg.com/world_news/Little_Lin_Hao_a_survivor_hero_and_example_Ongof]
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
This was a great story and it was real nice to see him walking aside Yao Ming.
Looks like we can expect great things from Lin Hao.
i read about this little hero after the earthquake of China…
this boy is extraordinary… with a good and selfless heart..
he deserves to carry China’s flag in Beijing olympics…
i am truly inspored…
i agree wit you rusty..
bryan
philippines
Nice one, Rusty.
Young Lin Hao is an inspiration to us all.
Very sweet post. What a touching example Lin Hao is to all of us.
Precisamos nos espelhar em atitudes como essa desse pequeno e grande heroi Lin, que exemplo de companherismo teve para com seus colegas, é uma atitude tão rara hoje em dia entre os adultos, por isso chego a me emocionar com tão grande atitude dessa pessoinha linda Lin Hao
Very sweet and great post
- thank you Rusty!
As Little LinHao’s god mother, I am just so proud of him!
He encouraged China with his courage and his selflessness. And I bet the world is lightened up “When THE child is born”.
I just love him so, my little LinHao, my little hero and my little angel!
Many thanks from Shanghai China!
Children, may God Bless Them….They do not ponder the decision, but act in true LOVE and FAITH.
On behalf of Little Lin Hao:
Dear Uncle Rusty,
thank you for your encouragement and support!
Welcome to my hometown, to Sichuan with your 6 lovely kids and their “beautiful and inspiring” mom!
I believe that my home town and Sichuan will be as beautiful as before when it gets well recovered.
Sincerely,
Little Lin Hao
Linda, and Lin – Wow, what an honor! I’m so happy you found my little post, and happier still that you both took the time to comment and say hi.
Linda,
I’m sure you are so proud of him. What an inspiration he is… wise, strong, capable, reliable, loving, and thoughtful. Lin represents all that is good in the world, and all that we should work to become ourselves.
I’m so happy to have found his story.
Lin,
I love hearing you call me uncle! It brought back so many memories… Almost 13 years ago (wow, that sounds like a long time, but it seems like just yesterday), I learned Mandarin Chinese and served a mission in Sydney Australia amongst the Chinese people there. More than almost anything, I just loved getting to know the young Chinese children, hearing their jokes, seeing their energy, and they all called me “Uncle” too!
Lin, I am so sorry that you have had to experience such sadness. I lost my parents too when I was just a bit older than you, albeit under very different circumstances (about me. But my new family offered me strength and a stable environment, and it sure sounds like you’re well cared for now with your new family.
It’s hard sometimes to know why we’re given such challenges, and sometimes it just doesn’t seem fair. But I really believe that all these things give us experience, and shall be for our good. They shape us in unique ways that prepare us for great things, and Lin, I believe you are destined for great things.
Sort of like making a fine steel sword. The metal must be tempered, put under great heat, and a blacksmith will hammer out the impurities, cool it, and then repeat the process. All the while the metal becomes purer and stronger. In a similar way, your trials are making you stronger.
Already you have shown such incredible strength of character. I’d love to see what lies in your future.
I hope someday I can come to Sichuan (I have many friends from there). Most importantly, if you ever want to come to America, please know you’ll always have a place to stay here!
With great respect,
Rusty
Dear Rusty,
Thank you for such expressive replies.
You said exactly the way it is by “making a fine steel sword”.
Let’s hope the best for Lin Hao and all the children, the future of the world.
Sorry I forgot that you speak Chinese and you have already got attached with Chinese children.
Good news: Lin Hao’s Dad and Mom are survived
- They were both working in the field at the quake moment, and they helped others as volunteers. His Dad was one of the local farmers who helped to find the missing hero helicopter after climbing over several mountains.
Take care Rusty!
On behalf of Lin Hao,
Dear Rusty Shu Shu,
Xie xie your trust and offer!
I am going to study hard to repay all the kindness people ever give to me. And I am going to learn English well to visit you and to study at Harvard someday.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Best wishes,
Hao
That is fantastic news! After the opening ceremonies I had researched Lin’s story and found one report saying that, which made me so sad. I’m so happy to hear, and thank you for the correction. I have updated the post above. Please let me know if anything else needs correcting. I’d far prefer to have the fully accurate version!
Hao,
Na li, na li. Wo zhen gao xing jian dao ni. Wo xiang ni hao li hai, er chye wo jueda ni shr fei chang te bye.
Harvord yi ding shr ge hen bang de da xue. Wo jen xiang xing ni swo yo xiang dzwo de, dou neng dzwo!
Ke neng, yo yi tian, wo ke yi lai dao Jung Gwo. Wo hen xiang chyu. Dan shr, ru gwo wo mei yo ji hwei, wo ke yi lai kan ni zai harvord! LOL.
Wo jyu ne hao yun.
Rusty
(p.s. the Chinese in Australia gave me a Chinese name… Lin Rwo Jye… na ge Lin jiou shr shwang mu lin. Nin de “Lin” ye shr “Shwang mu lin” ma?)
Hi Rusty,
Hao and his older sister did lose connections with their Dad and mom at the beginning. They did not know who was still alive or not till about 1 week later when people told Dad and Mom that Hao was on TV. It was at that moment that Hao burst into crying in his Dad’s arms when Dad hurried to Quake Children Centre in Chengdu- so touching and exciting!
Pl see some pictures +vedio here
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?ct=&tn=&rn=&pn=&lm=&kw=%C1%D6%BA%C6&rs2=0&myselectvalue=1&word=%C1%D6%BA%C6&tb=on
Thanks for writing to Hao in Chinese Pinyin.
I will pass him your message this evening.
Yes, Hao has the same family name as yours: 2 woods = forest.
Nice weekend!
Linda
Hey Rusty, thanks for the very inspiring entry!
And to Lin Hao, if he is reading this:
Ni chen de si yi wei ying siong. Wo ting le ni de ku shi gan dong tao yan lei yi tian liu sia lai. Chen de hen chun jing ni! Wo yao siang ni shue si!
On behalf of Lin Hao:
Xie xie ni men, Uncle Rusty and Bruisedwee.
wo zuo de shi hen duo ren dou hui zuo de
( I just did whatever many people would do).
Sincerely,
Lin Hao
Dear Rusty,
Just like you I was completely moved by the story and consequent prescence of Lin Hao at the Beijing Opening Ceremonies. I felt that it was very appropriate to have this little hero lead the way for the Chinese and really for all people who need an inspiration!
I am an American teacher of 12-15 year olds and plan to use Lin Hao’s story to inspire my students when school begins. Sadly, many do not think that they can make a difference, yet it is the little things we do every day that make the difference. Lin Hao took his role seriously and made that difference. However, I am sure he would have done the same thing whether or not he was the hall monitor, a true leader usually does.
So you know, I work in a very diverse neighborhood where crime is high and income low. But my students are brilliant and deserve to see “leaders” from all across the world.
Lin hao is truly an inspiration! Thank you, Lin Hao, for touching our hearts all the way over here!
Sincerely,
“Miss Balderrama”
Middle School Teacher
Long Beach, California, USA
Thanks so much for sharing, and what an honor to have a teacher comment. You’re the epidome of exactly the principle to which I refer. And I’m so glad to hear you sharing the story of Lin Hao with your kids - I think our children today need more heroes and role models like this, in the presence of so many other vastly less worthy ones.
You have my prayers, and my best wishes. I hope you take a moment to read my tribute to teachers… To teach or not to teach.
Rusty
The story of Lin Hao was very inspiring to me, and I make sure to tell it to many people I know. What a young spirit!
If you don’t mind, I linked this blog entry to my myspace in my ‘heroes’ space.
-adamson
Dear Balderrama,
You said it exactly
“I am sure he would have done the same thing whether or not he was the hall monitor, a true leader usually does.” Thank you for sharing Linhao’s story with your students and sharing your thoughts with us.
I also agree with Rusty: Our childred today need heroes and role models like this.
Children are our future. They need to be guided and to be inspired correctly.
Linda
Dear Mr.Rusty,
Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us.
I am an LDS Member from Italy who will move to Shanghai,China soon.
From now little and corageous Lin Hao will be my hero as well.
I really appreciate you because you let me know this story.
Thank you brother. Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Lenny Poli.
Hello admin, nice site you have!,
Your site is very very cool !! I love it
Respect !,
A good site, good short contents of the good work. Congratulations !,
Very interesting site, beautiful design, thanks
Hi! Hao has already demonstrated his leadership ability. He is on my prayer list because I want him to be a leader in good and important areas of life. I feel sure he will be that kind of leader because of the wonderful characteristics he already displayed at such a young age!
Some very interesting and insightful thoughts. I like this.