"If I were allowed to select a color to represent myself, blue would be my first choice, because I grew up in a mountainous area, and I often found comfort from the blue sky during my childhood," says Hao Lingyi, a beneficiary of the Spring Bud Project from Northwest China's Gansu Province. Hao adds the vast sky provided her with inspiration to explore the world.

Hao comes from a rural family in Yuzhong County, Lanzhou, capital of Gansu. Both of her parents are farmers. The economic situation of the two-child family was not good when Hao was a child.

Hao liked drawing very much when she was a child. However, she didn't choose to study fine arts when she entered Chang'an University, in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, because tuition fees for fine-arts-related majors were much higher compared with the other majors. 

During her stay in Xi'an, Hao met a respectable teacher, and she wanted to attend the teacher's painting courses. However, she failed to raise enough money to register for his courses, even though she worked her way through college.

Nevertheless, Hao remained committed to painting, and she continued to paint in her free time.

Hao enjoys creating artworks in a free and easy style. When she is painting, fully expressing herself is most important.  

Hao has attached great importance to social issues, and to people's livelihoods, and she has used her paintings to record the times.

For instance, Hao worked with her classmates, to draw 22 sketches, to show their respect and admiration for the heroic and selfless deeds of volunteers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 epidemic, when Xi'an was gripped with the contagious disease, in December 2021. The sketches were posted online, and they quickly went viral. 

In January 2022, at the recommendation of Chang'an University, Hao, with an outstanding academic performance and strong sense of responsibility, received financial assistance from the Spring Bud Project. 

"The financial aid of the project helped me a lot. It gave me an opportunity to take systematic courses in painting, and to pursue my dream in a better way," Hao says.

Through systematic learning, Hao has made great improvements in her painting skills, and she has gained a deeper understanding of artistic creation. She has also shared her creations with netizens, and she has received positive responses from her followers.

The Spring Bud Project has given Hao a deeper sense of gratitude and benevolence, and has caused her to become more interested and involved in volunteer-service activities.

Hao says she looks forward to making the project available to more girls in need. She is willing to do her best to help young girls fulfill their dreams of attaining a bright future.

After she graduated, in July, Hao received a job offer from a carmaker in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province. Hao says she is prepared for her new life in Shenzhen.

"Don't be afraid to do what you want to do," Hao says, with confidence and expectations for a better future.