Weekend Long Read: ‘De Facto Orphans’ Find a Home — for Now

Each afternoon, students from Fenyi County No. 1 Central Primary School, led by fifth-grader Huang Anran, walk to De Ren Yuan, or the “Garden of Virtue and Benevolence,” a private residential facility in Xinyu, Jiangxi province. Established in 2008 by former education bureau deputy director Huang Meisheng, De Ren Yuan provides a home for “de facto orphans”—children whose parents, due to illness, disability, imprisonment, or disappearance, cannot care for them. The institution offers these children not just shelter, but stability, routines, and a sense of family in a rural environment.[para. 1][para. 2][para. 3][para. 4]

De Ren Yuan’s facilities include a three-story building with dining, sleeping, and study areas, as well as vegetable gardens and poultry coops that supplement the children’s meals. Routines structure daily life: from meal lines supervised by student monitors to chores and evening study sessions. The children, who refer to each other as siblings, sleep eight to a dorm room and receive care from full-time caregivers. Basic needs are met, and the home fosters a supportive, communal atmosphere.[para. 5][para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9]

Extracurricular activities have gradually been added, with volunteers teaching music and literature, and charities donating instruments like a piano for lessons. Regular child-safety seminars are also held. The children are taught practical life skills, including cooking, which is vital due to their lack of parental care. The supportive environment helps children, many of whom arrive withdrawn and traumatized, to become more outgoing and confident.[para. 10][para. 11][para. 12][para. 13]

China’s welfare system historically only covered true orphans—those whose parents had both died. It was only in 2019 that “de facto unattended children” were officially recognized, and only since 2020 have they qualified for monthly living stipends. Most children at De Ren Yuan have lost their fathers; many have mothers who remarried and left, while others face family scenarios involving imprisonment or mental illness. Eligibility for support remains inconsistent, leaving some families without adequate financial assistance.[para. 14][para. 15][para. 16][para. 17][para. 18]

The emotional toll on these children is significant. Children cope using various means, such as drawing or bonding with peers and caregivers. Some display profound signs of trauma or grief, as illustrated by fourth-grader Pang Dongdong, who struggled with severe abandonment issues when he arrived. Positive peer interactions, like making gifts for one another, provide comfort and a sense of belonging during challenging times.[para. 19][para. 20][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23]

De Ren Yuan is entirely free for its residents, operating on a modest 2025 budget of just over 230,000 yuan ($31,800), funded almost exclusively through donations. In recent years, this funding has become precarious. Corporate donations have decreased due to economic downturns and the pandemic, and although public fundraising has raised over 260,000 yuan, it has not guaranteed stability.[para. 24][para. 25][para. 26]

Nationally, government support for de facto orphans has grown: by the second quarter of 2024, 414,000 children received assistance, up from 253,000 in 2020, with 85.3% coming from rural areas. However, stipends are sent to legal guardians, and founder Huang insists a public institutional system is needed, suggesting that empty rural school buildings be repurposed.[para. 27][para. 28][para. 29][para. 30][para. 31]

He believes that by providing these children a communal home and equal treatment, their psychological health will improve, helping them escape cycles of poverty and abandonment.[para. 32][para. 33][para. 34]