Mountain girl from family with tortured history of mental illness, disability sets sights on helping others like herself
- Chris McMillan
- Sep 10, 2025
- 1 min read
South China Morning Post
7th September 2025
Mountain girl from family with tortured history of mental illness, disability sets sights on helping others like herself
A young Chinese woman who was forced to beg on the streets with her blind and poverty-stricken father at the age of seven has been admitted to university, sparking widespread attention online and a national discussion.
In 2013, Zhang Yan, from Nanjiang county in Bazhong, Sichuan province, southwestern China, captured national attention when it was reported that she led her blind father, Zhang Shiming, begging on the streets for survival.
In 2010, her father injured one of his eyes on a rusty nail. Lacking the money for proper treatment, his condition worsened and the other eye also became infected.
The delay in medical treatment ultimately left him permanently blind.
After her father lost his vision, Zhang’s mother developed severe mental health problems. She later gave birth to a son who was diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
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