1988年，劉秀祥出生於一個風雨飄搖的家庭。他的人生，幾乎從一開始就背負常人難以承受的重擔。家境極度貧寒，本已生活艱難，然而命運更是雪上加霜——在他四歲時，父親不幸離世，哥哥姊姊均離家出走，母親因受不住打擊，患上間歇性精神失常。兄姐們在生活壓力下先後外出打工，從此杳無音訊，留下年幼的劉秀祥獨自一人，與病中的母親相依為命。童年的單純與無憂，對他來說幾乎不存在，他十歲便被迫踏入成人的角色，挑起照顧母親與養家的責任。

白天，他上學讀書；課餘，他要替母親穿衣、餵飯、洗漱，更要設法賺錢維持一家生計。他幫忙收拾田裡的農活，沿著上學的路撿廢品、空瓶子換錢，還利用空閒時間跟著大人進山挖藥材。儘管生活沉重，但劉秀祥始終沒有被擊垮。他順利完成小學學業，考上了縣城的重點初中，並帶著母親搬到幾十公里外的縣城求學。為了照顧母親，他在學校附近山坡上，用玉米稈、鐵絲、木板搭建一個簡陋的小屋。屋內冬冷夏熱、蚊蟲滋生，但他卻甘之如飴，因為能與母親在一起，便已是莫大的安慰。靠著撿垃圾、打零工，他繼續奮力求學，終於又考上當地最好的高中。

然而，高中學費昂貴。為湊齊800元學費，他整個暑假都在工地打工，日夜勞作，多次從腳手架上摔落，險些丟命。即便如此，他最終還是成功攢到學費，甚至多出200元，他沒有捨得花在自己身上，而是留給母親買藥。正如石縫間生長的樹苗，根系會更加堅韌扎實，劉秀祥就是這樣一路熬過來。然而高中的課業不比以往，他在學業與生活雙重壓力下，因長期體力透支與營養不良，在高考前病倒，最終以6分之差與大學失之交臂。那段時間，他曾深陷沮喪與怨懟，抱怨命運不公。直到他在日記裡讀到一句話——“當你抱怨沒有鞋穿時，你回頭一看，卻發現有人甚至沒有腳”，這句話令他徹底清醒。他擦乾眼淚，帶著母親跪在父親墳前，立下決心要重整旗鼓。

他短暫在澡堂打工搓背，但很快意識到這並非自己想要的未來，於是毅然選擇復讀。當時高三已經開學兩個月，多數學校拒收他，他便跪在校長面前，懇求一個讀書的機會。最終，他的誠懇感動了校長，學校甚至發起募捐，幫助他安心備考。一年後，他終於迎來轉機，成功考入山東臨沂師範學院。

2008年，他帶著母親到大學報到的場景，成舉國皆知的佳話。他左肩背著沉重的編織袋，右手攙扶著母親，雖然引來眾多好奇目光，但他背脊挺直、步伐堅定。這一幕被記者拍下，刊登於報紙，並迅速傳遍全國，包括《人民日報》在內的百家媒體爭相報導，他成“帶母求學”的勵志典範。社會各界的資助也隨之湧來，但他卻婉拒了，表示“別人的幫助可能讓生活變得更好，但也可能讓自己失去自理能力。”於是，他選擇繼續依靠自己的雙手賺取生活費，學業之餘擺地攤、做家教、發傳單，幾乎什麼苦活都嘗試過。同時，他還會從微薄的生活費裡擠出部分，用於資助和自己一樣貧困的學生。

大學畢業時，有北京企業為他開出年薪55萬的高薪邀約，但他拒絕了。他不願被同情，更不願靠“特例”獲得成功，他希望靠實力與努力立足。後來，他進入保險公司，成為項目經理，事業蒸蒸日上。然而，命運又一次將他推向抉擇的十字路口——一通電話，來自他曾資助過的一名山區小女孩。女孩告訴他，不想再讀書了。這句話讓他深受觸動，他明白，知識對於貧困孩子的命運有多麼重要，而自己應該成為那道照亮他們前路的燈塔。於是，他毅然放棄城市的發展機會，帶著母親回到貧瘠的山區，投身教育事業，將一生奉獻給山裡的孩子。

劉秀祥的故事，從貧苦童年到坎坷求學，從拒絕施捨到毅然歸鄉，貫穿著堅韌不拔的精神。他的人生告訴世人，真正的強大，不是沒有遭遇困境，而是在一次次困境裡選擇堅持與善良。他沒有選擇大都市的繁華，而是選擇用自己的力量，點亮山裡孩子的夢想。這份選擇，使他的故事超越個人，更成為社會上最動人的勵志篇章之一。

In 1988, Liu Xiuxiang was born into a family already on the verge of collapse. Poverty weighed heavily on them, and tragedy struck early. When Liu was just four years old, his father passed away. The blow was too much for his mother, who developed intermittent mental illness. His elder siblings, unable to withstand the crushing burden of life, left home one after another to work elsewhere and never returned. From that moment on, Liu was left alone with his ailing mother. Childhood joys and carefree days were a luxury he never knew. At the age of ten, he stepped prematurely into adulthood, taking on the responsibility of both caregiver and breadwinner.

During the day, he attended school, and after class, he cared for his mother—feeding her, helping her dress, and ensuring she was clean. He also had to think constantly about how to make ends meet. He tended to farm chores, picked up scrap and bottles along the road to sell, and even went into the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs. Life placed crushing burdens on his small shoulders, but Liu never broke. After completing primary school, he was admitted to a key middle school in the county. He brought his mother with him to the county town and built a makeshift shack on a hillside near the school using cornstalks, wire, and wooden boards. Though the shelter was cold in winter, scorching in summer, and swarming with insects, Liu cherished it, for it allowed him to stay close to his mother. With income from odd jobs and scavenging, he eventually made it into the best high school in the region.

But the cost of education loomed large. To scrape together the 800 yuan tuition fee, Liu spent an entire summer working on construction sites. He labored day and night, often at risk of serious injury—several times he fell from scaffolding and narrowly escaped death. At last, he earned enough, even saving an extra 200 yuan, which he set aside for his mother’s medicine instead of spending it on himself. Like a sapling that forces its way through cracks in stone, his roots grew strong in adversity. Yet, high school proved even harder. Worn down by exhaustion and malnutrition, Liu fell ill before the college entrance exam and, by a margin of only six points, failed to gain admission to university. For a time, despair consumed him. He questioned why fate was so cruel, why hardship seemed endless.

Then a line he once wrote in his diary shook him awake: “When you complain about having no shoes, turn around—you may see someone who has no feet.” Wiping away his tears, he knelt before his father’s grave with his mother, vowing to begin again, to treat her illness and give her a better life.

He briefly worked at a public bathhouse, scrubbing customers’ backs, but soon realized this was not the life he wanted. Refusing to waste precious years, he decided to repeat high school. By then, the semester was already two months underway, and most schools rejected him. In desperation, he knelt before a principal, begging for another chance. Moved by his sincerity, the principal not only accepted him but also organized a school-wide fundraiser to support his studies. One year later, Liu finally received his university admission letter, enrolling at Linyi Normal University in Shandong.

In 2008, on his first day at university, Liu once again arrived with his mother by his side. With a heavy woven bag slung over one shoulder and his hand firmly supporting his mother with the other, he walked tall and unwavering despite the curious stares of classmates. A journalist captured the scene, and soon Liu’s story spread nationwide. Major outlets, including People’s Daily, reported on his journey out of the mountains and his devotion to his mother. Overnight, Liu became a national symbol of resilience and filial piety. Offers of financial assistance poured in, but he declined. “Help from others might make my life easier,” he explained, “but it could also make me lose my ability to live independently.” Determined to rely on himself, he worked a variety of part-time jobs—tutoring, selling goods on the street, distributing flyers—whatever could earn enough to cover his expenses. Because he had “once been drenched by rain,” as he said, he wanted to “hold an umbrella for others.” Out of his meager income, he still found ways to support other underprivileged students.

Upon graduation, a company in Beijing offered him an attractive position with an annual salary of 550,000 yuan. To everyone’s surprise, Liu turned it down. He did not want to be pitied or succeed merely because of his story; he wanted to rely on strength and effort. Instead, he joined an insurance company as a project manager, and his career was thriving. But then, one phone call altered his life path. A young girl he had once sponsored from a poor village told him she wanted to drop out of school. That moment struck him profoundly. He realized how vital it was to kindle the flame of knowledge in the hearts of children from impoverished backgrounds. Education, he knew, could change destinies. He decided he must become a guiding light for them.

And so, Liu Xiuxiang gave up a promising career and the comfort of city life. With his mother by his side, he returned to the barren mountains and devoted himself to teaching in rural schools.

From his impoverished childhood to his struggle through education, from rejecting charity to embracing a life of service, Liu Xiuxiang’s journey is one of unyielding perseverance. His story shows that true strength does not mean being free of hardship, but rising each time adversity strikes. By choosing to light the way for children in the mountains, he transformed his own pain into hope for others, making his life not only an inspiring personal saga but also one of the most moving examples of modern Chinese dedication to education.