Fan Xiaoqin, 9, lives at Yanhui village of Yongfeng county in Jiangxi province. (Photo/Chongqing Morning Post)
Ma once responded online that he also thought his family member had uploaded his photo and he felt he was looking in the mirror when he saw the photo last year.
Though it is still unclear who shot the video of Fan's family this year, but it attracted people's attention to the family's poor situation.
His father Fan Jiafa, 59, had his left leg amputated after he was bitten by a snake when he was young. His 83-year-old grandma has Alzheimer's and his mother has poliomyelitis. He also has a 13-year-old brother.
The family has few electronic devices at home. The father said that the family usually goes to bed at around 6:30 pm, because that way they would save money by not lighting the only one bulb at night. The family has no TV.
After the popularity of Fan Xiaoqin on the internet, media reporters, kindhearted people and local government officials have visited the family, which has changed the life, Fan Jiafa said.
Fan Xiaoqin and his brother also realized that their life has changed because they now could eat some meat every meal not only the pickled vegetables, cabbage and pepper. There are also milk and bananas, and some new clothes and shoes.
Fan Xiaoqin is a grade one student at the village primary school. He began going to school two years ago, but he dropped out after one week. Last year, he broke his hand and stayed at home for one year.
His teacher said that Fan got zero point at a recent test because he wrote nothing on the paper, and she said the boy was not bright as other students even though he was three years older than most.
His father is worried that the boy could be intellectually challenged like his mother. While not admitting that the boy might have mental health issues, his father said the son might be OK if he was sent to a good primary school in the county town.
Knowing Jack Ma will financially support Fan's education, Fan Jiafa is very happy. In his mind, Jack Ma is a rich and a good man.
