‘Dad gives all his love’: homeless single father in China taking ‘princess’ daughter to sell balloons at night with luggage in tow moves many to tears
- The father said he is reluctant to leave his daughter alone in a shabby flat during the summer heat
- His story highlights childcare problems faced by China’s impoverished guardians
The story of a homeless single father and his daughter who sell balloon dolls at night and sleep outdoors during the day spotlighted the challenges faced by families in China with financial troubles.
According to the video posted on Douyin on August 13 by a woman, surnamed Wang, the daughter is around five years old, dresses in a pink dress, and occasionally wears some of the balloon creations for fun.
The father decorates his luggage with balloon dolls that he tries to sell to people who are out at night. Inside the luggage are cotton-padded quilts, everyday necessities and the materials necessary to make the balloon dolls.
The father, from Xuchang in Henan province in central China, said they sleep on the streets during the day because he cannot afford a nice place, so he would have been forced to leave his daughter alone in a scorching hot flat.
“He said he and his daughter were the only ones remaining in the family,” Wang said. “He had to take his daughter with him because there is no one at home who can help him with child care and the girl’s kindergarten is on summer break.”
According to the father, whose identity has not been revealed and who has been dubbed “Balloon Father” by people online, he had many outstanding bills, as well as thousands of yuan in unpaid salary from working on construction sites.
