Director devotes life to being 'mom' to orphans

For 32 years, Huang Huiqing has devoted herself to researching rare diseases and caring for abandoned children with disabilities, helping them become self-reliant adults and pursue their dreams.

The 52-year-old director of the medical department at the Beijing Children's Welfare Institute is fondly called "mom" by the orphans and disabled children she cares for.

"I felt bashful when I was first called 'mom' by the kids. It was 1993, and I was only 20, just graduated from medical school in Beijing," she said. "But I gradually got used to the moniker, which I think represents the children's emotional reliance and trust in me. Being a mother to them means I, too, have a great responsibility and duty on my shoulders."