China: Vlogger helped Child Labor back to School · Global Voices
Meng Zhang

Xu Alun, a middle-aged vlogger hammering away at a point that “truth is power”, published a series of self-made shocking videos in Ku6.com, a popular video sharing website in China. Through a 3-episode continuous coverage, Alun exposed a moving story of three child coal haulers in Biji, a small city in the south, and with an effective online advocacy of QQ groups organized by Guo Jun, the story tended to circulate immediately among the netizens, arousing great public concern.(Click here to watch the video with English subtitles)
(The first “Child Coal hauler” video Alun published on February 10)
Almost half a million people have clicked on Alun's videos since he released his first work on the child coal haulers in February. Cooperated with Ku6.com, the netizens began to make a donation for the three children in order to help them back to school, and finally, under the increasing pressure from the Internet advocacy, the local government decided to engage in the aid program, which further promoted the cause. Vlogger Alun, the originator of the whole activity, eyewitnessed the process of the government aid and published another two relevant videos in his blog.
“It's really beyond my anticipation, I never thought there would be so many warm-hearted netizens supporting me,” Alun said, “in the beginning, I only wanted to spread the story via Internet.” “I think as a citizen of the People's Republic of China, it is our responsibility and obligation to expose the negative phenomena in the society.” According to another active participant of the cause, Xu Alun is a 40-year old businessman who used to work in the media more than 10 years and has a studio of his own where his documentary videos are made. He is optimistic about the outlook of citizen media which work depending on blog, BBS and instant messaging program in China, including his video blog advocacy.
The two QQ groups which had played an essential role in the cause kept encouraging their new members to widely propagate the aid program for the child labor and their close connection with the videos’ author helped them become an information center where people may get the latest news about the child haulers. However, the online action was not an all smooth sailing amid Chinese deficient confidence in Internet. “In fact, we were all under great pressure. A lot of people were watching us and had their own ideas about what we did,”  said Guo Jun, the one who created the first QQ group for Alun's video blog advocacy, “some people said we were just a bunch of idiots and only talked without actions and someone thought this was a fraud.” “Whenever I felt exhausted, I would watch the videos. The children's sufferings made me carry on.”
Comments in Alun's video blog:
作者：zaoB
童工~哎~这世道~真实的~~~残酷的~
Author: zaoB
Child labor~alas~this world~real~~~cruel~
作者：wtz128
不管怎么样，这样的舆论是很好的，支持～！！
Author:wtz128
Anyway, such public voice is good. Support~!!
作者: 游客
贫困儿童无数.都等到媒体关注????才得救那不是杯水车薪！！！！
Author:Guest
There are countless needy children. Can all of them get the attention of media????The child who is just saved is little more than a drop in the ocean.
作者: 游客
真的应该办点实事才对得起这个所谓的和谐社会.
Author: Guest
It's really necessary to do some practical work so as to match this so called harmonious society.
作者：游客
希望政府多关心关心弱势群体。
Author: Guest
Hope the government can pay more attention to the disadvantaged people.
作者：游客
之前干什么了，天知道还有多少这样的孩子徘徊在学校之外
Author: Guest
What did the government do before? God knows how many children are still wandering out of the schools.
作者：whq12345
只有等待故事的发生了，才想到要伸出援助之手
Author: whq12345
It's not until the tragedy happened, people gave their help.
作者：游客
伤心啊，想不到现在的世界上还有这么坚强的小孩子，我佩服你们
Author: Guest
I'm so sad over this. It's unbelievable that there are still such tenacious children now. I admire you.
作者：游客
但愿天下再多一点好心人。
Author: Guest
Hope there are more good people in this world.
作者：游客
这些孩子太不容易了，他们很善良、有良心，知道用劳动换取他们所需的一切。
Author: Guest
Life is too hard for those children. They are kind and honest because they know how to make a living by working.
According to Alun's latest video, all the three children have been back to school and well resettled. With the extensive influence of the cause, more child labor in Bijie city are being found and saved.
Yang Guo, one of the three child coal haulers Alun reported, studies in the class.
Yang Guo and his classmates in school