Martin Li

    Martin.mouse@163.com

    ZHANG ZIHENG, 15, is a talented young man with a tunnel-visioned focus on his goal: attending Harvard University and studying medicine.

    The reason for that goal is both deeply personal and selflessly altruistic. Zhang hopes to one day cure the foot disability that has plagued him since age 4 and to help others with similar ailments, too.

    The lofty goal likely is no surprise to people who meet Zhang, who are often struck by his ever-present smile and optimism.

    His smile is backed by strong determination.

    “The only thing I want to do is study hard and make my way into Harvard,” Zhang said. “I want to study medicine and then cure my foot disability and help others. I want to lessen people’s suffering.”

    The hallowed halls of Harvard’s Cambridge campus are thousands of kilometers away in Boston, the United States, but Zhang might be closer to getting there than you would think — after all, he’s already been there once, reportedly as the first Shenzhen youth to be received by the university’s president.

    Tough climbs

    Zhang’s disability emerged at age 4, when he suddenly found one of his heels couldn’t touch the ground. Walking became difficult for him, but doctors couldn’t provide an explanation.

    Zhang’s mother, surnamed Tang, began helping him get to school when he entered first grade in primary school.

    Tang tried countless means to cure her son’s disability. None worked. In 2007, she began regularly helping Zhang climb 20 floors of stairs, which doctors said would help him recover from the disability.

    The climbs were challenging for Zhang.

    “I hoped it would help. Once, it took me only 18 minutes to climb up and down,” Zhang said.

    Gift for language

    Guided by his parents, Zhang has developed a strong gift for English.

    The talent was evident very early in his life — Zhang was able to recognize more than 2,000 English words when he was 2.

    “I listen to at least half an hour of original recordings of English movies or cartoons on most days. In addition, I often go to crowded places like Lianhua Hill Park and bookstores to search for foreigners to talk to,” Zhang said. “Most of the time, they are willing to communicate with me, therefore my spoken English improves.”

    Zhang has tried to take part in English competitions and activities, but said he’s sometimes been turned down because of his disability and difficulties getting around.

    In 2008, though, he participated in a national youth English-language competition organized by American College Testing (ACT).

    Zhang won second place, but wasn’t satisfied. He entered the same competition the following year and took first.

    Since then, he’s become a frequent prize-winner in English-language competitions, including events held by China Daily and CCTV.

    Wonderful invitation

    At one of the ACT competitions, Zhang was asked to make a statement about his dreams and said: “My dream is to visit Harvard. I will go there to study in the future.”

    The statement resulted in a stunning surprise. Zhang received an invitation to visit the university from Harvard President Drew Faust in 2009.

    “We learned that Zhang is a promising boy and his English impresses us. We will receive him as a guest of honor in the well-known Wadsworth House. We also hope Zhang will write in our guest book,” the invitation said.

    Organizers of the ACT competition had sent a detailed description of Zhang to Harvard, in an effort to help realize the boy’s dream.

    A memorable trip

    Zhang flew to the United States in late October 2009 and was received by Drew Faust. He learned several valuable lessons there.

    “When I told Jackie O’Neill (then associate vice president for government and community affairs) that my dream was to study medicine at Harvard, she said it’s not enough for an excellent person to only study well,” Zhang recalled.

    O’Neill told Zhang that Harvard also attaches great importance to people’s ability to make the best use of existing environments and conditions, he said.

    Zhang was invited to write in the school’s guest book.

    In addition, Faust gave Zhang a book, “Harvard A to Z,” and wrote an inscription on the title page that said: “Thank you for coming to visit me at Harvard. I have high hopes for your future.”

    Zhang said the trip made a lasting impression on him.

    “The visit to Harvard broadened my horizons and made me understand that I should pay attention to both study and things around me. In addition, I should have virtue and a loving heart,” he said. “I should become a person who makes contributions to our society.”

    ‘Optimistic and active’

    Shenzhen Experimental School has recommended Zhang be named a “virtuous youth” in Shenzhen.

    “He is a self-motivated disabled youth,” school administrators said. “He is optimistic and active. He has been facing difficulties and setbacks with a strong will. He studies hard and wins the praise of teachers and schoolmates.”

    “I want to study medicine [at Harvard] and then cure my foot disability and help others.”

    — Zhang Ziheng, 15, a frequent prize-winner in English-language competitions