Blinded as a Child, Chinese Student Tops National Exam for Disabled Candidates

Thirteen years after a brutal attack left him permanently blind, a young man from northern China has topped a national university entrance exam for students with disabilities and secured admission to study medicine, marking a remarkable chapter in a story that once gripped the nation, Jimu News reported today.

Guo Bin, now 19, scored 721 points in the 2026 joint entrance examination for students with disabilities, ranking first nationwide in the undergraduate medical category. He has been admitted to Changchun University and plans to pursue a dual degree in computer science alongside his medical studies.

Guo's journey began in tragedy. In August 2013, when he was 6 years old, his aunt lured him away from his home in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and attacked him, destroying both eyes and leaving him permanently blind. His aunt later committed suicide. The case shocked China and drew widespread public sympathy.

In the months that followed, donations and support poured in from across the country. In September 2013, renowned Hong Kong ophthalmologist Dennis Lam and his medical team provided free treatment. Guo later received ocular implants and prosthetic eyes, restoring his appearance though not his sight.

A turning point came in 2014 when his family moved to Wuhan in central China. There, Guo enrolled free of charge at the Wuhan School for Blind Children after seeking help from teacher Zhang Long, who became a mentor and one of the most influential figures in his life. The school also helped the family settle in the city by providing jobs for both of his parents.

Teachers recall that Guo initially struggled to trust strangers after the attack. Music gradually helped him rebuild confidence. Under Zhang's guidance, he developed a talent for multiple instruments, eventually becoming a bassist in the school's band. He later performed at public events, including activities linked to the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, and joined a student band that released original music.

According to school officials, Guo can play five instruments: the bass guitar, hulusi, ocarina, Native American flute and suona. He is also an avid Go player.

In 2024, while returning to Shenzhen for the replacement of his prosthetic eye, Guo revealed his ambition to study medicine and help others. Two years later, he achieved that goal by becoming the country's top-scoring disabled candidate in the medical category.

Despite his success, Guo's ambitions extend beyond medicine. He hopes to earn a second degree in computer science and, one day, return to the Wuhan School for Blind Children as a teacher.