Little angels, broken wings

Yuan Dong takes care of a baby at Luohe Welfare House, Henan province. Provided to China Daily

At 21, Yuan Dong has taken on a job many people years his senior would balk at - caring for abandoned children with congenital diseases. Qian Hui speaks to this remarkable young man about why he finds his work so rewarding. 

Yuan Dong sees himself as a normal guy, a big fan of horror movies and biking. But his daily work has become a labor of love that would make many people uncomfortable. 

Yuan has been caring for infants with congenital diseases for the past nine years. 

Nursing, rehabilitating and looking after hundreds of children has become his life's work. 

After graduating from medical school in 2004, then 21-year-old Yuan came to work at Luohe Welfare House, Henan province, started his journey of guarding his broken- wing angels. 

The only child of his family, Yuan was not raised as a little emperor like many born after the 1980s. 

"My father and mother are not that kind of spoiling parents. I did not get whatever I wanted when I was a kid. Thanks to that, I didn't need to see a dentist since I was forbidden to eat candies," Yuan recalls. 

His work in the welfare house has made him grow. 

"My work has turned me to a better person. What I have experienced here taught me to be more considerate and tolerant of others, which changed me a lot." 

Yuan supervises the health condition of 281 infants afflicted with conditions such as cerebral palsy - all abandoned by their birth parents. 

"Children here all have congenital diseases, and our welfare house has been taking the job of raising them and providing medical treatment. Their ages range from 1 to 19 years old."