Khaberni - In a rare scene of courage, a nine-year-old child transformed from a silent victim to an inspiring hero when he decided to confront those who hurt him in a way that no one expected.
Mao Shelin, an elementary school student and class president, lives in Xi'an city in Shaanxi province, northwest China. Despite his shy nature, his mother, Mrs. Zhang, described him as brave, responsible, and principled, but what happened recently was a real test of all these traits.
In a cruel joke, someone wrote the words "2B" meaning "idiot" in Chinese on the back of his school uniform, and the other children began to tease him and mock him, calling him "the fool".
For two whole days, Mao carried this pain alone, not telling anyone, fearing that his clothes would not dry properly if he washed them, so he went to school with the humiliating words still on his back, and the laughter pursuing him everywhere.
When he finally decided to tell his mother, her heart broke, and she thought about contacting the school immediately, but Mao insisted on one thing: to face the situation himself at the next class meeting.
Mao stood in front of his classmates on the podium, appearing in a video that quickly spread online, where he spoke calmly and steadily, describing how they left him powerless and sad.
The child asked his classmates to imagine themselves in his place: "If someone wrote on your clothes and mocked you, would you feel happy?"
He then reminded them of his role as class president: "When someone bullies you, you come to me and I help you, but now, is this how you treat me?"
The simple and honest words touched everyone, causing the bullies to break down in tears and offer genuine apologies, while the teacher praised Mao, describing him as a "man" despite his young age, and that he gives others a sense of security.
Mao's mother wrote in an online post: "My son transformed from a silent sufferer to a brave fighter. He walked this path alone for two days, standing on the podium and defending himself, doing something I would not have dared to do in 40 years. It's truly amazing."
The video garnered over 2 million likes on Chinese social media, where one follower commented, "This child has a strong heart, stable emotions, and clear logic," and another wrote, "His speech can inspire courage in other children facing bullying."
Notably, school bullying is not rare in China, and sometimes it has tragic outcomes. In March 2024, a high school student from Hebei province near Beijing was killed and buried by 3 classmates after enduring continuous bullying.
In October of the same year, a 13-year-old boy from Anhui province died after a fight with his classmates at school.
