Social issues & processes
Flowers Blossoming is a picture book created in the context of poverty alleviation through education in China. In the Shiwan Mountain area of Guangxi where the outdated notion "women are not supposed to receive education" still prevails, Ah Mei, a girl of the Yao ethnic group, cherishes the hope that "knowledge can change fate". She leaves the mountain to receive education and work with the support of government. Having experienced a broader world outside, she returns to the mountain to plant seeds of hope for other girls.
The delicate and healing pictures in this book carry great power. The stretching mountain and the lush forests trigger boundless imaginations, embodying the thirst of girls deep in the mountain for learning knowledge and exploring the outside world. While the problems with girls' education in impoverished areas as reflected by the book have great realistic implications, the book applauds selfless educators for their finite contribution to the infinite educational cause, empowering more girls to live more open and brighter lives.