- Bai Jian, a PE teacher in China, has adopted nearly 300 parentless children since 1995
- He rents a large home called Dream Home where 20 to 30 children live at a time
- Over 100 adopted children earned university degrees; 50 reached top athlete rank
A secondary school teacher in China has gained widespread attention for dedicating his life to caring for hundreds of parentless children. Over the past three decades, his efforts have helped many of them build successful futures, reported the South China Morning Post.
Bai Jian, 52, is a physical education teacher at Anshan No 2 Middle School in Liaoning province, northeastern China. He has been called "China's Superdad" for adopting nearly 300 children who had no parental support.
To accommodate them, Bai rents a large property where 20 to 30 children live at a time. Since 1995, at least 276 children have stayed at the residence, which he calls Dream Home. Many of these children were orphans or had been abandoned by their parents.
Over the years, several of Bai's adopted children have gone on to achieve success in different fields. Some became professional athletes, soldiers in the People's Liberation Army, public servants, or university teachers.
Reports say that more than 100 of them have earned university degrees, while 50 have reached the highest Level 1 Athlete rank under the national sports authority.
Bai himself grew up in a poor rural family in Huludao, Liaoning province. He gained admission to a college due to his talent in sports, particularly long-distance running. After graduating, he began working as a physical education teacher.
His journey into adoption began when he noticed a student who often skipped school and took food from classmates. Bai later found out that the boy had been abandoned by his parents and was not being fed. He allowed the boy to stay with him in his living quarters.
The boy told him that even his own parents did not care about him and said that Bai was his father. This moment led Bai to start helping more children in similar situations.
To support the growing number of children, Bai borrowed money and took on extra jobs in his spare time. He also received help from his mother and two sisters, who assisted in caring for the children.
Understanding his own financial and academic limitations, Bai encouraged the children to focus on sports as a path forward. Bai maintains a strict routine for his children. He wakes them up every morning at 4:30 am and takes them for a run. Regardless of the weather, the children run more than 12 kilometres each day.
He believes that sports are completely fair and that hard work pays off. He aims to develop endurance and mental strength in his children through regular practice. He believes that long-term discipline helps children face life's challenges fearlessly.
Many of his children have achieved marathon success, and his home displays nearly 1,300 medals won over the past two decades.
A girl he adopted at the age of 11 earned admission to premier institutions like Tsinghua University and Peking University after winning a gold medal in the long-distance race at the national school sports competition.
Bai has also paid special attention to the children's emotional development. She explained that many children were unloved and harbored resentment toward their biological parents. She advised them not to hate anyone, as hatred is a double-edged sword that harms others as well as themselves.
Through his efforts, Bai has not only provided shelter for children but has also given hundreds of them new direction and purpose in life.
