A photo of a boy who was left with frozen hair and eyelashes after he walked to school in sub-zero temperatures has gone viral.

Wang Fuman was pictured with icicles on his eyebrows, hair, eyelashes and his thin jacket after he made it to class in temperatures of -9C.

The photo was taken by his teacher after his daily 4.5km walk to school in China's Yunnan province.

Behind Fuman, who is thought to be eight years old, are his classmates laughing at his icicles, red cheeks and frozen hands.

The headmaster of Zhuanshanbao primary school in rural Zhaotong said it takes Fuman more than an hour to walk to school each day.


He revealed he is a "left-behind child", whose parents have to work in cities away from home for economic reasons.

He lives with his older sister and grandmother and has never left his village.

Image: The little boy's classmates were laughing at his icicle hair

After the headmaster posted the photo on social media, thousands of people around the world shared the picture.

One Chinese user said: "I'm crying. Left-behind children are all on their own."

Another said: "What you are suffering now will light up the road of your future."

Fuman told local media: "It is cold going to school, but it's not hard."

He said he dreams of visiting Beijing one day.

"I want to see how pupils study there," he added.

The boy said he wants to become a police officer "because police can catch bad guys".

Yao Zhaozhi, his grandmother, revealed the family eats mostly vegetables because meat is too expensive.