The story of a homeless single dad and his five-year-old daughter who sell balloon dolls at night and then sleep outdoors during the day has gone viral in China. It spotlighted the challenges faced by families with financial troubles in the Asian country.
A woman, surnamed Wang posted the video of the father and daughter duo on Douyin on August 13. According to the clip, the young girl dresses in a pink dress and occasionally wears some of the balloon creations that her dad sells for fun.
The dad decorates his luggage with balloon dolls. He tries to sell these products to people who are out at night. Everyday necessities, cotton-padded quilts, and the materials needed to make the balloon dolls are found inside the luggage.
Dad and daughter sleep on the streets during the day
The dad, who hails from Xuchang in Henan province in central China, said that the family sleeps on the streets during the day because he cannot afford a nice place for them to stay in. The father said he would have been forced to leave his child alone in a scorching hot flat.
According to Wang, the father told her that he and his daughter were the only ones remaining in the family. He said he had to take his child with him because there is no one at home who can help him with child care and his daughter's kindergarten is still on summer break.
According to the dad, whose identity has not been revealed, he has many outstanding bills. The man who has been dubbed the "Balloon Father" by people online, also has thousands of yuan in unpaid salary from working on construction sites, according to the South China Morning Post.
Wang sells balloons to raise funds for daughter's education
He told Wang that to save money, he had to settle for cheap housing, which does not have an air-conditioner. He said that her daughter does not want to stay home alone and due to the scorching heat in China right now, he decided not to rent a place anymore and instead sleep on the streets.
The dad said they sell balloons until 2 to 3 a.m. and that they sleep in the shade under the trees during the day. Wang met the father and daughter when she was riding her electric bicycle home. She stopped and bought a balloon from the man and ended up having a conversation with him. He then learned about the difficulties the dad and daughter were facing.
The father told Wang that he chose to sell balloons to raise money for his child's education. He dressed his daughter like a princess in a puffy pink skirt despite their dire circumstances. The young girl had a stuffed rabbit doll that she carried everywhere, according to Yahoo.
Many people praised the dad after the video went viral for lavishing his daughter with love despite their financial difficulties. One person commented that the father gave his daughter all the love he has even though life is hard.
