He Yonghui, a recent graduate from Xinhua County No.1 High School in Hunan province, informed reporters that his first-choice university is Hunan Agricultural University, where he hopes to follow his interest and study a machinery-related major.
Prior to this, He Yonghui's name has appeared frequently in media reports, with labels such as "congenital talipes equinovarus," "four surgeries," "mother cried until her eyes nearly failed," "father greeted him with eight country eggs," "526 points, exceeding the undergraduate line by 126 points," "multiple Hunan schools vying for him," and "politely declining donations" roughly sketching his story and character.
However, his story cannot be fully contained by these labels. On the evening of July 4, 2026, when asked about his feet, he said walking for long periods still causes pain, preventing him from running or participating in morning exercises at school. Yet, he has long grown accustomed to living with his "congenital deficiency"—he has never calculated how long he can walk before the pain starts.
After his story was reported, many people offered donations, but his father, He Xiutang, politely declined. In an interview, He Xiutang stated, "Relying on others' donations can help for a while, but it cannot secure a lifetime." Both He Yonghui and his father emphasized that "one must rely on their own efforts; others can only help temporarily."
Regarding the upcoming university life, He Yonghui believes becoming proficient with a computer is a priority, and he is practicing typing this summer. He admitted his current interpersonal communication skills are "too poor" and that during university he must "first learn to communicate more with others, and then study hard."
Following his interest, he hopes to study a machinery-related major in university. During this year's college entrance examination period, a video of a sixty-year-old father from Xinhua County, Loudi, Hunan, bringing eight country eggs to greet his son outside the exam center garnered widespread social attention. The father and son in the video are He Xiutang and He Yonghui from Luoshengjiao Village, Zhenshang Town, Xinhua County.
On June 25, 2026, He Yonghui checked his college entrance exam score: 526 points in the science stream, exceeding the undergraduate line by 126 points and the special type enrollment control line by 45 points. While it fell slightly short of his target, it was within his own estimated range.
After his score was reported, several universities in Hunan initiated efforts to recruit him, extending olive branches. When he visited Hunan Agricultural University, Liu Zhonghua, a Chinese Academy of Engineering academician and president of Hunan Normal University who is also a professor at Hunan Agricultural University, personally invited He Yonghui to choose the tea science major.
He Yonghui speaks politely and concisely but has his own ideas. On July 4, he stated in an interview that in his application, he placed Hunan Agricultural University as his first choice. Regarding the specific major, after discussing with his father, he followed his interest and applied for a machinery-related field.
He said that during high school, he liked physics and chemistry and was interested in machinery. "But the final admission results won't be known until after July 20. My previous understanding of various majors was very limited, and I might change majors after entering university," he added.
Although he hasn't fully decided on a future career direction, he hopes to study a major he is interested in. During the application process, he and his father reached a basic consensus: to choose a major with relatively good employment prospects and one that doesn't require prolonged standing in future work.
This is because He Yonghui has congenital talipes equinovarus and has been unable to walk normally since childhood. After four surgeries from around age one through middle school, he can now walk seemingly like others, but his feet still hurt after prolonged walking. Consequently, he cannot participate normally in physical education classes, morning exercises, or running.
Considering his special circumstances, on June 26, Hunan Agricultural University not only sent teachers to provide him with one-on-one application guidance but also stated that if admitted, his four-year tuition would be waived and an accessible dormitory would be arranged for him.
However, He Yonghui told reporters that he believes living in a regular dormitory can help him communicate better with classmates and improve his social skills; he wants to live in a standard dorm. "I think my ability to communicate with others is too poor now. During university, I must first learn to communicate more with others, and then study hard," he explained.
Enjoys playing chess, never resented fate's unfairness. During the interview, He Yonghui spoke sparingly, often answering questions with just two or three key words. Sometimes, he would remain silent for a moment before responding.
He admitted that in high school, his main focus was on studying. He maintained a routine of waking up at 6:40 AM and sleeping around 10:30 PM while at school and was not adept at socializing. Earlier, in primary and middle school, he felt somewhat inferior because he couldn't easily participate in physical education and walked differently, worrying about being seen differently by teachers and classmates.
"However, those teachers and classmates were very good to me," He Yonghui said. Especially after his final surgery in middle school, which allowed him to walk basically normally, his inferiority complex faded. His interest in chess also began in middle school. "Watching classmates play, I slowly learned," he said, noting he often played with classmates in middle school but played less in high school due to heavier academic workload.
When asked if he ever resented fate for being unfair due to his walking difficulties as a child, He Yonghui answered quickly and decisively: "No." Although walking for long periods causes pain, he has long made peace with it and does not see it as a major issue.
He underwent surgeries at ages one and nine, followed by two more, but he doesn't remember the exact times or details. He has also never paid attention to how long he can walk before the pain starts, saying, "I've never calculated how long I can walk before my feet start to hurt."
Luoshengjiao Village in Zhenshang Town, Xinhua County, is the birthplace and hometown of Luo Shengjiao, a Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldier who heroically sacrificed his life in 1952 in Korea to rescue a drowning youth. He Yonghui said he has heard the stories of martyr Luo Shengjiao since childhood. "That spirit of self-sacrifice to save others has influenced me greatly."
He Yonghui has his own understanding of martyr Luo Shengjiao's story and spirit: "No matter how difficult the times, one must maintain a kind heart."
"One must rely on their own efforts; others can only help temporarily." The kindness of He Yonghui and his family is also reflected in how they treat the goodwill from the outside world. During this year's college entrance exam period, 60-year-old He Xiutang set out from home, walked six or seven miles of mountain roads, took a bus for over two hours, spending nearly three hours to reach the Xinhua No.1 High School exam center.
He brought eight country eggs from home, skipped lunch but couldn't bear to eat the eggs himself, waiting from 10 AM until 6 PM for his son to exit the exam hall. In an interview, He Xiutang mentioned that after He Yonghui was born with congenital talipes equinovarus, his mother often cried from worry, nearly losing her eyesight. He Yonghui underwent several surgeries and could only walk basically on his own by middle school.
Upon exiting the exam center, He Yonghui said his ideal university was Xiangtan University and that one of his summer plans was to work a summer job to help ease the family's burden. He took the eggs from his father, peeled them, and insisted his father eat first.
The video of the "eight country eggs greeting" moved many people. When learning that many netizens wanted to donate to them, He Xiutang, who supports the family by doing odd jobs on construction sites, said they appreciated the care and kindness but did not wish to accept donations. His reason was, "I can still work, I can still move," and "I can be self-reliant." He even stated, "I would rather have my son work a summer job to toughen himself up a bit."
In an interview, when asked again why he was unwilling to accept donations, He Xiutang admitted that on one hand, he worried that accepting so much help might place a significant psychological burden on his son—fearing it would make his son feel he must strive extremely hard to live up to the help from many people. He did not want He Yonghui to have such a psychological burden or pressure.
On the other hand, He Xiutang believes he can be self-reliant. "Relying on others' donations, they can help for a while, but cannot secure a lifetime," he said. "Walking through this world, one must rely on their own efforts; others can only help you temporarily." He Xiutang hopes to rely on himself for everything and hopes He Yonghui will also be self-reliant and independent in the future.
He Yonghui said his thoughts align with his father's; he has felt the need to be self-reliant and strong since childhood. However, when discussing Hunan Agricultural University's offer to waive four years of tuition if admitted, He Xiutang said, "Of course, we'd be happy about waived tuition; the pressure would definitely be less. Earning a bit more money ourselves would leave little pressure. That would be fine."
He Yonghui also admitted that choosing to apply to Hunan Agricultural University was because the school felt warm and showed great humanistic care.
"Being in the spotlight is both motivation and pressure." He Yonghui's homeroom teacher, Tan Lingling, said He Yonghui doesn't speak much but studies very diligently. When discussing academics, He Yonghui said he mainly followed the pace of school classes during primary and secondary school and didn't encounter major difficulties.
His motivation to study partly comes from his own interest in learning and partly from the simple wish to "study hard, hoping to have the ability to take care of his parents in the future." He Yonghui said that although his parents ask about his school situation when he returns home on holidays, they have never pressured him academically. However, deep down, he feels that studying hard and achieving good grades is the only way not to let down his parents' efforts.
He Yonghui boarded at school during high school, returning home only once a month. He still remembers in his second year of high school when his exam results were not ideal, he specifically called his father. "Dad said, just study hard. What's done is done, let it go," He Yonghui recalled.
He admitted that when he usually did well on exams, he rarely called his father. That time he called specifically after not doing well, not because he was in a bad mood and hoped for comfort, but because he felt he had let down his father's hard work. He Xiutang laughed, saying, "Of course I hope he does better and better, but I don't want him to have too much pressure. If you pressure him, his pressure becomes too great."
When asked, "Since the college entrance exam, you have received a lot of attention from the outside world. What do you most hope people remember about you, or not remember? Is this attention motivation, pressure, or a burden for you?" He Yonghui smiled and said, "I don't want to be remembered by others." The attention from the outside world brings "both motivation and pressure."
As for university life, He Yonghui feels more anticipation. He said that if there are chess-related clubs at university, he might consider joining. To better adapt to university study and life, He Yonghui has recently started practicing typing on a computer.
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