CRI听力:Doubts Rise as Donations Flood in for Orphan Girl

The essay by a 12-year-old orphan by the name of Mukuyiwumu has been the focus of heated debate online.

It tells of the tragic loss of parents.

Hash-tagged on Weibo under 'the saddest essay written by a primary school pupil,' the essay has been read by over 5-million people.

But like many stories which appear on the internet, detractors have begun picking it apart.

Some have been suggesting the story may be exaggerated, as it was polished by the girl's teacher before being uploaded.

But speaking with China Central Television, the girl's teacher, Ren Zhongchang, says none of the content of the essay was changed.

"I let the kids write an essay under the title 'tear' after we read a moving text. Her original article was poorly organized when she handed it in, but I could understand what she wanted to say. But I corrected nothing but the grammar and simple writing mistakes."

12-year old Mukuyiwumu is from the Yi ethnic group in southern China, and is living with her grandparents and two younger brothers.

The siblings get 600 yuan each in monthly allowances from the local government.

Her story was initially posted online by Huang Hongbin, the head of a local foundation called Azalea.

But now Huang himself has also become the focus of criticism after he decided to use the donations generated through the essay, which have amounted to over 900-thousand yuan, to help children other than her.

"So many people have donated money for her. But we don't think it's proper to give her all of the money. We have talked and reached agreements with donors that the money raised can also be used to help other kids."

Meanwhile, Wang Zhenyao, a philanthropic researcher with Beijing Normal University, says the wishes of those who donate money need to be respected.

"The donations were originally for this kid. So the foundation should get approval from the donors before using the money to help others."

The Azalea Foundation has arranged for free boarding and education for the girl and her brothers at a primary school in the nearby city of Xichang.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.