A small girl in China is taking on the giant Chinese government because she wants to go to school. Zhan Haite, 15, like most teens, lives where her parents live. So when her parents moved to Shanghai for work, she moved too. But currently in China, unless you are rich, you can’t go to high school if you are not in your native province. Of course, she is too young to go hundreds of miles back to her native province by herself.
While millions of young students are in the same jam as Zhan, when asked by TakingOnTheGiant.com in an exclusive interview why she was willing to stand up to her government, she replied, “Maybe I’m naïve, but I think, if I stand up, I can change something.” Zhan continued, “Other people think it couldn’t change (the huge and frightening Chinese government)… that one person, their power is too small. But I don’t think so. I think one person can overturn the world.”
When told she couldn’t register for school, she took her protest to the front of the school registration building. Then she began writing a micro blog, posting on a site called Weibo. In China, Weibo is like a cross between Twitter and Facebook. On that blog she posted:
“I have the right to attend school: we are all citizens of the Republic, we have the right to fight for our rights. Each person’s strength is not very small, but very great! Everyone may have to change the world!”
And then later:
“I want to take my gaokao exam here, but I don’t want that to depend on my parents’ job, income, taxes, assets or pensions. If that’s what it takes, then what chance does that leave kids from poor families? How would they be able to change their fate through education?”
Zhan proudly points out she used her real name when posting her blog. Her protest has brought considerable attention in her country where it is usually considered very dangerous to challenge the government. The world is watching to see if the giant will win… or this courageous 15 year old girl.
