A father in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, who took his son in a wheelchair for a school opening ceremony on Monday has attracted a lot of attention from netizens. Photo: A screenshout of a video by The Paper

A father in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, who took his son in a wheelchair for a school opening ceremony on Monday has attracted a lot of attention from netizens.

The son, Sun Yichen, a freshman of Xi'an International University, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when he was 12. "He works harder than other normal students. We are doing our best to help him realize his dream of going to college," said the father of Sun.

"He had to attend the new student' opening ceremony, and I wanted to help him integrate into the school environment," said Sun's father.

Sun said that he was glad to come to the university. He plans to study hard, make more friends and participate in more club activities.

Sun's father told the media that they have applied for daytime schooling so that Sun can return home at night due to his health limitations. 

Sun had to get up at 6 am to arrive at the university early, but he didn't feel tired and was happy, the father said.

The Paper