nhk world kengo okomoto has the story. >> reporter: this is the eldest daughter in a farming family. they live in a mountain village. when she was a small child, susu's father lost his eyesight. her elder brother left home to work in the city after graduating from junior high. between helping with the family and household chores, susu managed to finish senior high. about two years ago, her mother became ill and died. since then, the family has found it harder to make ends meet. susu wanted to study at university to become a doctor. she passed the entrance exam for the university she most wanted to attend. but susu wasn't able to pursue her studies. >> translator: my family would have had to borrow money for my tuition. i didn't want them to do that. >> translator: i blame myself for not making it possible for my daughter to study at university. >> reporter: more than 5 million residents of guizhou province live in poverty. the region had the lowest per capita gdp in all of china. last year, a private college opened in the mountain community. it lies about 50 kilometers south of the p