(Photos: Qujing Daily Mobile app)

While working on a construction site with his parents on July 23, Cui Qingtao was informed by a mail courier he was due to receive, within an hour, an admission letter from Peking University, one of the most prestigious universities in China, Qujing Daily Mobile app reported.

Cui was born in a family of migrant workers. His family is from Wulipai Village, Zhehai Town, Huize County, in Yunnan Province. After finishing the Gaokao, China’s college entrance exam, Cui had returned to Zhehai town and worked in construction sites with his father. 

On July 22, Cui and his family went to Qikoutang, which is four or five kilometers away from home, to work on renovating a house.

Cui and his parents worked in mixing mortar, while his younger sister, still in fourth grade, played around on the site. Upon seeing the postal truck, Cui proceeded to wash his hands and wipe them with his dust-covered shirt, then smiling, took out his ID card and his pen and signed off. Cui thanked the courier who proceeded to hand him the admission letter and a bouquet of flowers.

The family looked at the red envelope of the admission, again and again. Cui’s father asked his wife to read the admission since he cannot read. Xu, Cui’s mother, read out loud, "Peking University Admission Notice. Cui Qingtao, our school decided to enroll you in the School of Journalism and Communication. Please come to the school on August 30, 2018, with this notice. President Lin Jianhua."

That same day, several teachers from Cui’s High School came to visit Cui. They taught Cui about how to apply for student loans, and shared him the contact info of Huize County’s student representative at Peking University. Based on their counsel, Cui contacted the student representative at Peking University as well as the dean of students in preparation for the start of school.