Multilingual Cambodian boy kicks off new life in China

Salik (right) takes photos for classmates on May 29. 

Salik shares his story of vending souvenirs as a student-program tutor.

The 14-year-old Cambodian boy, Thuch Salik, is a “cyberstar” in China. A video of him vending souvenirs in more than 10 different languages near Angkor Wat, Cambodia, spread across the Chinese social networks back in November 2018.

Thuch Salik was born in an impoverished family. But luckily, this young prodigy has come to study in China since mid May, sponsored by the “belt and road” charity program of a private Chinese educational institute.

Now, he begins his new life at Hailiang Foreign Language School (HFLS) in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang province. “My school is so beautiful, and I’d like to go to Beijing for university in the future,” says Salik, full of expectation.

HFLS will continue to fund Salik until he is graduated from university.